


do you know where your heart is?

by mychogiway



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Baker!Baekhyun, Chanyeol is kind of a jerk, Confused Park Chanyeol, Fluff, Hate to Love, Heavy Angst, M/M, Past ChanSoo, Pining, Pinkhaired BBH, Unistudent!Chanyeol, bcs fuck that's some good shit, bestfriends!sebaek, this contains a lot of hurt Baekhyun sorry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-14
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2018-12-31 07:36:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 57,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12127662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mychogiway/pseuds/mychogiway
Summary: For Baekhyun, developing a crush is easy, since he gets attached to a person very quickly. While he thinks of it as a curse, his mother keeps telling him to look at it from the more positive side. She says that he has a big heart and lots of love to give.But can he really not consider his "big heart" a curse when his newest crush becomes Park Chanyeol, his next-door neighbour who seems to hate Baekhyun to the core with passion?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hello there! first, i want to say that english isnt my first language so excuse my mistakes. and secondly, i usually dont read after myself so there might be typos as well lol.  
> ANYWAY, for those who are reading my other chaptered fic, i hope this is at least a little bit of a compensation for not being able to update. i know its not much but... yeah.
> 
> ABOUT THIS FIC:  
> \- update every 10 days  
> \- side pair is kaisoo, and SLIGHT hunhan (i respect that luhan has a gf now and im incredibly happy for him but since i started writing this fic a long time ago when luhan was still single im leaving hunhan there, pls dont hate on me lol)  
> \- its rather angsty, but HAPPY ENDING   
> \- chapters long around 4k-5k words  
> \- PAST CHANSOO
> 
> my tumblr -> mychogiway.tumblr.com  
> aff link for this fic -> http://www.asianfanfics.com/story/view/1294153  
> and link to my other chaptered fic for those who havent read it and are possibly curious about it-> https://archiveofourown.org/works/10100066?view_full_work=true
> 
> okay that should be all for now. so... enjoy the fic lol. feel free to critize and tell me ur opinions! :)

"Jesus fuck," Chanyeol mutters angrily as he opens his eyes and throws away his blanket, getting up from the bed and walking over to kitchen to make himself a cup of coffee because drinking coffee always manages to calm down his nerves even though he might be on the verge of blowing up the whole building. And now, he definitely needs coffee, since simply cursing his neighbour while lying in bed is not enough to make his rage go away this time. 

It's been three days since his new neighbour started moving in to the flat next to Chanyeol's, and Chanyeol swears that the guy couldn't get any louder while unpacking and dragging his belongings and furniture into the apartment. Chanyeol hasn't even had the chance to see the asshole yet - the screams he can hear from time to time because of the thin walls clearly don't belong to a girl - but he already hates the guy's guts. 

 _Kyungsoo wasn't this loud when he moved in,_ a bitter thought crosses Chanyeol's mind and he grimaces, filling the kettle with water and making it boil as he reaches for a cup and his favorite ground coffee. Just then, as he puts two tea spoons of the coffee in cup, there is another loud noise piercing the air coming from the apartment next to his, and Chanyeol inhales deeply and closes his eyes, then exhales and grips the counter tightly. 

"Why is he so noisy? What have I done do deserve this?" asking, Chanyeol looks up to the ceiling as if he is aiming his question at any god that is currently listening, demanding answers as to why, out of all apartments in Seoul, this stupid person had to move right next to him, ruining his life seemingly effortlessly. However, no answer comes, and Chanyeol is sure that it's because the gods are too busy laughing at Chanyeol's misery, not having enough time to communicate with him.

College is killing Chanyeol lately and he cherishes every second when he can rest and let his homework be forgotten on the table for a while, but the guy next door is just making it impossible to rest. During the day Chanyeol tries to accept it, knowing very well that moving in is hard and takes a lot of effort, but  _fuck_ , does this asshole have to make so much noise even during such early hours? It's only four in the morning and Chanyeol doesn't have any morning classes, meaning that he is supposed to be sleeping and resting now, which is quite impossible with how loud his neighbour is. 

A few seconds later, the water is boiled and Chanyeol pours it into the cup, not adding milk or sugar because he likes his coffee black. While Chanyeol has a sweet tooth and will not say no to any cakes and pastry, he just can't drink his coffee with even the tiniest bit of sugar or milk. 

His mind wanders to the time when Kyungsoo and him used to have their morning coffee together on the balcony, the coffee always made by Kyungsoo who knew that Chanyeol liked it black, just like him. While all of their friends like coffee with milk or sugar or even both, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol bonded - along other things - over their love for overly bitter coffee, sipping the hot liquid every morning. Oh, how Chanyeol misses it-

His thoughts are interrupted when he hears a knock on the door, and Chanyeol groans, not having an idea who can be visiting him at this hour. A quick thought about this being Jongdae crosses his mind because it wouldn't be the first time Jongdae just barges into his apartment at four in the morning, demanding help from Chanyeol after leaving his homework for last minute. At that times, Chanyeol regrets that Jongdae is in his economy class too. 

However, Chanyeol is more than surprised to see a complete stranger standing on his doorstep when he opens the door. 

 

 --

 

Baekhyun feels really bad for bothering his next-door neighbour at this hour, but he really needs milk. He was stupid enough not to check if he had enough milk for cereals left before he started preparing his late night snack slash breakfast, and now his only hope is his neighbour if Baekhyun doesn't want to eat dry cereals with just a drop of milk. However, he would never wake anyone up just to ask them for milk - unless they are one of his very good friends because then why not - but since he heard that his next-door neighbour is up thanks to the thin walls, he decided to take his chances.

The thing is, a possibility that his neighbour can turn out to be to be extremely hot somehow escaped his mind. 

The man in front of him is tall, with broad shoulders and strong arms, and his natural dark brown hair that is swept away from his eyes is still sticking to every possible direction messily. He has plump lips, currently slightly pouted, and his brown eyes are big, rimmed with thick lashes that are only complimenting the beautiful almond shape. Currently, those big eyes are looking at him with utter confusion, and that's a sign that maybe Baekhyun should stop ogling his neighbour and actually introduce himself.

"Uhm... H-Hi," Baekhyun stutters out, his eyes taking in the attractive features of the tall man. Eventually, his gaze falls on his neighbour's large ears that are sticking out and Baekhyun can't help but think they are extremely cute. 

"Hey," the man says, and Baekhyun feels his knees buckle upon hearing the deep voice greeting him. Not only the man is hot as fuck, his voice is incredible too. Baekhyun has always been a sucker for tall men and deep voices, and this man is gifting him with both.  

Gulping the lump in his throat, Baekhyun bows a little and introduces himself, glad that his voice comes out rather normal. "My name's Byun Baekhyun." 

"I'm Chanyeol. Park Chanyeol," the man says, and now Baekhyun can add a name to the attractive face and sexy voice.  _Park Chanyeol, what a nice name,_ Baekhyun thinks. Is it possible for a name to fit the person carrying it? Because looking at Chanyeol, he might think it's possible.

Chanyeol bows to him too, and Baekhyun doesn't miss the way Chanyeol looks him up and down, eyes trailing from Baekhyun's head to his toes slowly. Is there a possibility that Chanyeol thinks of him as attractive too? Well, if there is a chance, then Baekhyun should collect himself and stop looking so flustered. He is good at flirting, but the shock from finding out that his neighbour is actually so good-looking has momentarily made him forget about his flirting abilities. Seeing Chanyeol might have also made him forget how to breathe for a second there, but whatever.

"Nice to meet you," Baekhyun says, throwing a bright smile at Chanyeol. People has always told him that his smile is very nice, so when Baekhyun wants to catch someone's attention, he just shows off his pearly whites, hoping it will work. Most of the time, it does. "I'm really sorry for bothering you, but- uhh, I'm actually your new neighbour. I live next door and-"

"Wait, what? What did you just say?" Chanyeol cuts him off, eyebrows shooting high and beautiful eyes going wide. Chanyeol looks too shocked to hear that Baekhyun is his neighbour, and Baekhyun doesn't understand why exactly because, well, he is only dressed in an oversized shirt and his hair must look more than extremely messy - what kind of person would just leave their house like that if they didn't live in the same building, or like Baekhyun, right next door?

Baekhyun gestures to the still open door to his apartment, cocking his head to the side as he repeats himself, "I... live next door? I'm moving in, so there is probably some noise lately-"

"Some noise?!" interrupting Baekhyun again, Chanyeol steps closer to Baekhyun unconsciously and towers over the shorter male with a frown on his face. Baekhyun startles and instinctively takes a step back, not liking how small he suddenly feels. Why is Chanyeol yelling at him, anyway? "I was wondering what kind of person can make so much noise all the fucking time, and in the early morning too. What even is wrong with you? What are you doing in your flat, renovating the whole apartment or something?"

"I-I'm sorry, it's just that my furniture is-"

"If you're not making your own furniture out of the freshly cut trees then your argument is going to be invalid for me," Chanyeol spits fire as he frowns ever more, those pretty-shaped eyes looking at Baekhyun with the utmost hatred. It's so different from the confused yet gentle look Chanyeol was giving him before he introduced himself as his neighbour. 

"I'm really sorry," Baekhyun apologizes, sincerely. He knows he made a lot of noise in the past three days since he started moving in, his friends being rather clumsy as they helped him with the furniture. Also, Baekhyun is quite clumsy so he dropped a lot of things back in his apartment too, which was probably heard more clearly than Baekhyun thought. So yes, Chanyeol has the right to be angry at him, but he doesn't have to be so rude about it. Baekhyun might have a soft spot for tall men with deep voices, but not when they are assholes. "But still, if you had a problem with me being loud, you could have just come over and tell me instead of holding a grudge and then snapping like this."

For three days, Baekhyun thought that the noise he makes is acceptable, since nobody was complaining - aside from the old lady across the hall that couldn't watch her evening drama because of Baekhyun one evening, but that was one time. If Chanyeol simply knocked on his door and let him know that he would appreciate it if Baekhyun kept the noise at minimum, Baekhyun would do it. Or at least tried. 

However, Chanyeol doesn't seem to realize that Baekhyun had a fair point because the only thing he does is scoff and steps back into his apartment, saying, "I'm telling you now. Keep the noise down or I'm going to file a complaint and get you kicked out, smartass," before he shuts the door into Baekhyun's face loudly, leaving the shorter male standing alone in the hall. 

Annoyed, Baekhyun lets out a puff of air, pouting his lips and frowning as he turns on his heel and walks back into his apartment, shutting the door as loudly as Chanyeol just seconds ago. "What a dick," Baekhyun mutters as he takes his bowl of cereal and spoon into his hands, deciding that he will just eat it without milk, no matter how sad it is. 

 

 

 

While Chanyeol was truly rude to him two days ago, Baekhyun somehow can't stop thinking about the giant next door - really, how can he be so tall? From the moment he saw Chanyeol in the morning at that time, Baekhyun couldn't get Chanyeol out of his mind. After all, the man was exactly his type. Tall, strong arms, expressive eyes, cute but hot at the same time, deep voice... Just everything Baekhyun could ever want when it comes to appearance. 

Baekhyun excuses the way Chanyeol yelled at him on that day with an argument about Chanyeol just being sleep deprived - in which Baekhyun takes part, no matter how much he wants to deny the fact. His mother taught him to not judge people too soon and that whilst first impressions are important, you never know in what mood the person you've met was, and thus you should be careful with making up an opinion about that person. Because of that - and also because Baekhyun wants to see Chanyeol again - Baekhyun forgives Chanyeol for snapping, thinking that there is more to Chanyeol than just a grumpy man with stupid ears. He has never been able to hold grudges for long, anyway. 

The thing is, Baekhyun might have been wrong with thinking that there is more to Chanyeol, since the next time he meets the guy, Chanyeol is frowning at him and looking at him with utmost hatred as they stand together in the elevator when Baekhyun goes to take out the trash. For a moment, Baekhyun feels incredibly nervous, his heart beating fast when Chanyeol's eyes lock with his for a second before the giant looks away. 

 _Don't judge too soon,_ Baekhyun tells himself, and with that in mind, he opens his mouth, wanting to start a conversation to break the awkward and tense atmosphere.  Baekhyun guesses that he can maybe properly apologize for being too loud during the time he was moving in too. "I already have everything set in my apartment, so I won't be making so much noise anymore," he says, grinning at Chanyeol who is still looking ahead, boring a hole into the elevator door instead of looking at Baekhyun. "You must be really happy-"

"Damn right I am," Chanyeol cuts him off harshly, the tone so cold that it makes Baekhyun shiver a little, as if Chanyeol's voice was the cold morning breeze ghosting over Baekhyun's skin every day when he decides to sit on the balcony while sipping his coffee before going to work. 

Shaking it off, Baekhyun attempts to break the ice again, even though being interrupted like that kind of hurts. And it that short amount of time the two talked, Chanyeol interrupted him quite many times.

Seeing a bunch of papers in Chanyeol's hands as he glances at his neighbour, he uses this as an excuse to speak to Chanyeol again. "Are you going to work? Or school?"

Chanyeol remains silent, and Baekhyun feels incredibly awkward after getting ignored. He knows that Chanyeol heard him because the tall man rolls his eyes when Baekhyun is done with asking his question, and Baekhyun feels another painful pang in his chest after seeing Chanyeol's reaction. It's not about being ignored by Chanyeol in particular, it's about being ignored in general. Baekhyun hates being ignored.

Baekhyun has never been the one to give up easily, though.

"How old are you, by the way? You look young, maybe my age-"

"Just shut up," Chanyeol interrupts, voice low and deep, and in other circumstances, Baekhyun would find the voice incredibly sexy. But now, after hearing Chanyeol's words, Baekhyun only feels a wave of sadness and disappointment hitting him. This is the second time he is speaking to Chanyeol and the man doesn't come off exactly friendly, making Baekhyun think that Chanyeol truly is a grumpy giant that snaps easily and is effortlessly rude to people. 

Still, for some reason, it hurts more than it should when Chanyeol behaves this way toward Baekhyun. But on the other side, it's making Baekhyun angry too because, hey, what did he do so wrong? He has already apologized for being loud, and now when he's done with moving in he makes close to none noise, so what exactly is Chanyeol's problem? If he doesn't want to talk to Baekhyun or be friends, he can say it differently. Maybe more politely. 

Letting out an angry puff of air, Baekhyun pouts and looks away from Chanyeol, desperate for the elevator to reach the ground floor already. He really hoped that this conversation would go differently. 

While he's rather angry for being treated like this, there is still a part of him that wants to talk normally with Chanyeol, maybe even see Chanyeol smile again like the first time they met. Well, to his defense, Chanyeol seemed like a nice guy at that time... before Baekhyun said that he's Chanyeol next-door neighbour and seemingly screwed everything up with the information. 

The moment the elevator doors finally open when they reach the ground floor, Chanyeol storms out without sparing Baekhyun a glance, and as the shorter male watches Chanyeol walk away, the sadness from being treated badly slowly disappears, replaced by a feeling of determination. Determination that makes Baekhyun swear to himself that he is going to get Chanyeol to befriend him at one point. Baekhyun won't give up so easily.

 

 

 

His plan to befriend Chanyeol is going fairly bad, if Baekhyun says so himself. If his neighbour isn't ignoring him, he gives Baekhyun curt replies and slide remarks, adding a stinky eye for good measure. When they accidentally go together with the elevator, Chanyeol even tells Baekhyun to shut up after Baekhyun simply greets him, warning him with a glare if the shorter still wanted to attempt to start a conversation.

But Baekhyun doesn't stop trying. Maybe it's because Baekhyun just likes to befriend people, hating to be on someone's bad side.... maybe it is because he might have a little crush on Chanyeol. After all, the man is exactly his type.

Baekhyun had a fair share of crushes in his life, crushing literally on everyone that catches his attention. Really, Byun Baekhyun is a simple person and it only takes very little before he starts liking someone. A person says their opinion on something and Baekhyun likes very much or even shares it? Crush. Someone who is good-looking smiles at him or gives him even the smallest piece of attention? Crush. 

It's really a curse, how easily can Baekhyun get attached just because of the simplest thing. His mother says that Baekhyun should think about it in a more positive light because it just means that Baekhyun has a really big heart, a lot of love to give, and while Baekhyun really appreciates the opinion, he can't help but hate this thing about himself. After all, what's good about going through thousands of heartbreaks because he so easily gives his love to someone? What's good about feeling incredibly hurt when he gets rejected or things don't go as planned? 

And now with Chanyeol the history of complete rejection just repeats itself. Baekhyun, however, continues to try to get closer to Chanyeol, not necessarily in a romantic sense where he tries to woo Chanyeol with pretty smiles, since Baekhyun already knows that Chanyeol would never want him in that way. It's more in a friendly sense where Baekhyun wants to make Chanyeol like him, or at least accept him, because he just doesn't feel good knowing that his next-door neighbour hates his guts. 

The thing is, Chanyeol just doesn't give Baekhyun a chance to prove that he isn't as bad of a person as Chanyeol thinks he is. And it kind of hurts, every single time Chanyeol is so cold to him.

"You seem deep in thought," Sehun plops on the counter next to him, mirroring Baekhyun's smaller form. 

"Do I?" Baekhyun chuckles and glances at Sehun from the corners of his eyes to meet his gaze before averting his eyes shortly after.

Sehun has always been quick to figure out how Baekhyun feels at any given moment, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that they've been friends for so many years. They had grown up together, living their lives side by side since they were young, and even now after so much time they are still extremely close. Two years ago, when Sehun started attending university and found himself an incredible dance partner, a Chinese boy names Zhang Yixing. Baekhyun thought their ways would part and they would slowly become more distant with Sehun having a perfect university life while Baekhyun not only didn't attend the university with him, but didn't attend a university in general, deciding to take over his grandmother's business in a bakery shop after her death instead of continuing his education. 

However, his worries hadn't come true, as Sehun started working part-time in Baekhyun's bakery after he felt their friendship losing the flame, which was only three weeks after starting university. It's not like Baekhyun would just give the job to Sehun because it's his best friend, no. Sehun was actually really good at baking, since Baekhyun had always made Sehun tag along when Baekhyun and his grandmother were making even the simplest things as cookies, wanting Sehun to enjoy the fun with him. 

In the hindsight, it was really clever of Baekhyun because now while Sehun is living his university life with his new friends, they can still meet up at Baekhyun's bakery, working side by side like when they were younger. 

"What, is your newest crush still giving you cold shoulder?" Sehun nudges him playfully which Baekhyun returns, but his smile turns rather sad.

Sehun knows all about Chanyeol's behavior towards Baekhyun, since Baekhyun updates his friend about the situation frequently. However, today Baekhyun didn't mention Chanyeol even once, so of course Sehun had to ask. Baekhyun would like to skip on answering but he knows that Sehun would get it out of him sooner or later. Besides, it's not like what he's going to say is different from any other day.

"Yeah," Baekhyun sighs, pouting. It's almost embarrassing to confirm Sehun's mocking question. "Does he really hate me so much just because I made noise while moving in?" 

Sehun takes his time thinking before answering, but eventually he says, "I don't think so. It would be stupid. There must be something more to it."

"Or he's just a jerk," Baekhyun offers, and Sehun lets out short laugh at his friend's grumpiness and lots of pouting. They stand together in silence for a while, looking at the people occupying the tables in the bakery and enjoying the little time to relax that they have. Usually there are always people coming, the bakery quite famous in the neighbourhood, so there is not much time to just stand and enjoy the shop's calming atmosphere. 

Baekhyun remembers when he was here the first time years ago, Sehun by his side as they entered the freshly opened shop. Baekhyun was ten at that time, Sehun three years younger, and both of them were entranced by the beautiful and calming interior of the bakery. He even remembers the table they had sat at, eating their cakes with big grins while their mothers were watching them from the other table, gushing over their cute sons. 

Even now, when Baekhyun sits down to eat a cake after closing the shop, he goes to the exact same table every single time. Sometimes Sehun joins him, when he works the evening shift, but most of the time it's just Baekhyun there, music playing in the background quietly as he enjoys his piece of pastry. However, he really likes it more when he has company.  

"Are you gonna take his order or...?" Sehun's voice snaps him out of his thoughts, and Baekhyun looks at him with confusion. He soon understands what Sehun means when the younger points at the new-coming customer who is currently making his way to the counter. Following Sehun's pointed finger, Baekhyun's eyes fall on a tall man dressed in a black, long coat with dark brown hair swept to the side. 

Baekhyun's mouth goes dry.

He quickly snaps his head back to Sehun, eyes wide and horror written all over his face. Sehun raises his eyebrows at him, confused as to why Baekhyun looks like the third world war is about to begin. Gulping, Baekhyun gestures to the man who stops in front of the counter, playing with his mobile while waiting for someone to take his order. "That's him."

"Who?" Sehun asks, still not quite getting what Baekhyun is saying.

"Park Chanyeol,  _the_  neighbour," Baekhyun whispers hurriedly, careful so Chanyeol won't hear him. He watches as Sehun's confusion is replaced with realization, the younger's mouth falling open slightly as he looks behind Baekhyun and narrows his eyes at the customer.

With a devilish smirk, he turns Baekhyun around and nudges him in the direction of the cash register. "Go."

"No!" Baekhyun hisses, turning his head back to Sehun, his eyes full of utter terror. "Can't you do it? O-Or, call Tao, he's working the register today."

"I don't wanna, and Tao has a lunch break and won't be back for the next fifteen minutes. Go," Sehun shrugs his shoulders, pushing Baekhyun with more force than before while the shorter male is trying to fight it with his whole being. 

"Sehun, please-"

"Good luck," with encouraging words and a rather strong push that makes Baekhyun stumbling forward, the man doesn't have a choice but to take Chanyeol's order himself. When he stops at the cash register, he shoots Sehun a nasty glare that mixes with a look that's literally begging for help, but his friend only gives him thumbs up before leaning against the wall with a smirk. 

 _What a good choice of friends,_ Baekhyun thinks sarcastically before finding his courage and softly asking, "Hello, what can I get you?" his voice is slightly trembling, and Chanyeol recognizes it right away. The tall man whips his head up, clearly surprised seeing Baekhyun on the other side of the counter, judging by his already big eyes going wide. But after a second, his surprised gaze turns into one of distaste, and while Baekhyun feels something around his heart clench painfully, he tries to put on a smile.

"Two strawberry cheesecakes," Chanyeol retorts coldly, averting his eyes from Baekhyun and looking back down at his mobile, fingers dancing across the screen as he types a message. Baekhyun just nods even though Chanyeol can't see it and goes to get the cheesecakes, the painful pang in his chest not going away no matter how much Baekhyun tries to cheer himself up with shitty excuses that Chanyeol is just having a bad day... Every day.

After getting the cheesecakes, wrapping them up with a paper plate under them and putting them in a igelit bag with the bakery's logo, Baekhyun goes back to the cash register and puts Chanyeol's order on the counter. "It will be-"

"Yeah, I know. I've checked already," Chanyeol cuts him off, putting money on the counter and taking the igelit bag while he doesn't spare Baekhyun a glance, his eyes trained on his phone screen. Baekhyun looks down at the coins and bills, quickly counting them. It's the exact sum of money for both cheesecakes. 

Before Baekhyun even gives Chanyeol back the receipt or say goodbye, the giant is out of the door already. Baekhyun is left shocked as he watches Chanyeol walking away from the bakery through the big glass windows, and he feels his heart sinking at the sight.

As he hears footsteps behind him, Baekhyun turns around with a frustrated frown, but Sehun can see the sadness in his eyes, not fooled by the angry front Baekhyun is trying to pull off. "See? He hates me," Baekhyun mutters. "And you made me take his order... for what exactly?"

"Maybe it's because of your hair," Sehun says jokingly, ignoring the question Baekhyun gave him and instead bringing a hand up to touch Baekhyun's soft, pastel-pink locks. "What if he doesn't like this color?"

"Well, I like it," Baekhyun moves away from Sehun, running a hand through his pink hair after Sehun ruffles it mercilessly. Not like it had a big impact on Baekhyun's hairstyle, since his hair just falls messily around his head usually, fringe getting quite long already and ending just barely above his eyebrows, but still, Baekhyun hates when someone does it. 

"It looks like a cottoncandy," Sehun remarks.

"Shut up!"

"Don't mind this Park Chanyeol," Sehun says suddenly, dropping the topic of Baekhyun's hair color. "He's an asshole, I can see it," his friend continues, giving Baekhyun a small smile before patting Baekhyun's back with fondess, the gesture small but making Baekhyun feel the slightest bit better. "I'll tell Jun to clear tables, and you can go bake more of the famous cheese things."

"Brazilian cheese puffs, Sehun!" Baekhyun frowns, not understanding how Sehun just doesn't remember the name of the most famous salty treat of their bakery after hearing it so many times every day.

"Yeah that," Sehun nods, and nudges Baekhyun to the kitchen, as if all this nudging didn't start the problem a while ago. "Do what you do best and stop thinking about the jerk, he isn't worth it," are Sehun's final words as he leaves Baekhyun in order to find Jun whose break has already ended five minutes ago. 

With a heavy sigh, Baekhyun listens to Sehun and starts baking the cheese puffs, falling into his thoughts during his work. Tons of questions flashes through his mind, from pathethic ones like  _Could it be that he dislikes me because of my hair?_ to the most rational ones like  _Maybe he simply doesn't find me sympathethic._

However, all his questions and thoughts combine into one big conclusion -  it's time to forget about befriending Chanyeol. 

The man clearly hates him for whatever reasons he has, and no matter what Baekhyun does, Chanyeol will hate him even more. There is really no point in pushing if the only thing that comes out of it is this horrible heartache that Baekhyun has to go through. Besides, Baekhyun had been selfish for all this time, practically forcing Chanyeol to talk to him while the other one was uncomfortable with the shorter's presence. 

And so, Baekhyun makes the decision. 

He will start avoiding Chanyeol from now on, letting the man live in peace. If simply seeing Baekhyun is making Chanyeol upset, Baekhyun will do him a favor and disappear from his sight. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heyyyyy! i can't even begin to say how thankful i am for all the support i'm getting from you. Like, wow, this was just the first chapter but the bookmarks and kudos and comments were above my expections, really, since this is kinda basic plot -neighbours i mean. So yea, i'm really glad you like it so far.
> 
> Special thanks to ppl who complimented me for my english. See, the thing is, since this isn't my first language i often - a lot of times actually - don't know if the grammar for this sentence is correct, or if this comma here is correct and so on. That's why i really appreciate comments where my english is mentioned, the bad ones appreciated as much as good ones. Also, thank you for sometimes correcting typos and mistakes in comments, i'm thankful because i make a lot of them, not only in this fic but my other fic too.
> 
> Anyway, now about this chapter. Another angsty shit lol sorry not sorry. I promise it will get better in another chapter. For now just enjoy the angst lol.
> 
> ALSO JFC taemin's album is so damn good, and the choreos kill me everytime.. i would sell my soul to go to his concert.
> 
> See you in ten days my dudes <3
> 
> I WILL SAY IT ON EVERY UPDATE BUT VOTE FOR EXO ON MAMA !!

After the first meeting with Baekhyun, there was something in Chanyeol that made him feel really negative emotions toward the pink-haired man next door – and maybe the hair was one of the reasons Chanyeol felt this way.

However, Baekhyun either being painfully oblivious or just straight up ignoring Chanyeol’s hateful glares, didn’t give up on talking to him. He tried to string up a conversation every single time Chanyeol was unlucky enough to meet him outside the apartment complex, in the elevator, in the hall, or even in the nearby grocery shop. And while Chanyeol brushes him off quickly and maybe somewhat harshly most of the time if he isn’t overlooking the shorter’s presence entirely, the stupid pink-haired midget just keeps trying to get close to him.

It’s pissing Chanyeol off, really. But on the other side, he is already getting used to ignoring Baekhyun or his lame attempts to befriend Chanyeol. After all, the guy will most likely continue trying anyway, so the best way to deal with it is to get used to it… and keep on being quite unnecessarily rude until Baekhyun understands that there is no way the two of them could end up being friends. Ever.

As if seeing the guy almost every single day wasn’t enough though, Chanyeol even met Baekhyun at the local bakery shop yesterday when Jongdae sent him there to buy him strawberry cheesecakes that his friend wants to eat before the class begins. Baekhyun’s eyes were shining with a hopeful glint when Chanyeol looked up from his phone, his smile somewhat strained but radiating friendliness nonetheless, the stupid pastel-pink hair looking weirdly fitting in the bakery’s soft interier. With curt replies and glares, Chanyeol tried to get his message through Baekhyun’s seemingly thick skull again, hoping that this time he’ll succeed, thinking that he made himself pretty clear when he left as soon as he could, not even saying  _goodbye_ or  _thank you_  before disappearing into the January’s cold weather.  _It probably didn’t work again,_ Chanyeol thought.  _He will keep on trying._

And maybe because of thinking that Baekhyun’s determination will last for centuries, Chanyeol is already getting his  _stop talking to me_ card ready when he sees Baekhyun standing in front of the elevator, face buried in his thick black scarf.

Displeased, Chanyeol closes the door to his flat, throwing the keys in his pocket after the door is locked. At the sound of jiggling keys and door being shut Baekhyun turns his head to the right, looking at Chanyeol from under his scarf.

Rolling his eyes, Chanyeol starts walking toward the elevator, a frown on his face deepening with every step. He wonders what will Baekhyun want to – try to – talk about today, what random thing will come to his mind.

But then, the unthinkable happens.

Baekhyun averts his eyes from Chanyeol, turns on his heel, and just as the elevator doors open in front of him, the midget disappears behind the metal door leading to stairwell. He doesn’t even glance back at Chanyeol once.

„What the fuck,“ Chanyeol mutters under his breath, his eyebrows shooting up to the sky. Well, this is a first. Baekhyun has certainly never skipped an opportunity to talk to Chanyeol, always doing the exact opposite and trying to get the conversation going no matter what.

However, Chanyeol really isn’t complaining now. He might be surprised, yes, but he is more happy than surprised. Maybe Baekhyun has finally gotten the message and won’t bother him anymore, but maybe he’s just not in the mood today. Chanyeol really hopes it’s the first option, it would be literally his dream come true.

A smirk appears on his lips as he steps into the elevator, pressing the button to the ground floor happily. How amazing it feels when he doesn’t have to share the space of the elevator with Baekhyun, or hear his annoying voice, or see his stupid smiles. Just perfect.

Chanyeol’s day is starting rather good.

 

 

 

Chanyeol was hoping that Baekhyun will stop bothering him after what happened yesterday morning, but he is actually shocked when he finds out that his dream is fulfilled. To really everyone’s surprise, Baekhyun truly stops trying to befriend him, making Chanyeol’s wish come true.

After the elevator situation the other day, Chanyeol sees very little of Byun Baekhyun for the upcoming days, and he can’t be happier. Even the noise from the midget’s flat is minimal, Chanyeol hearing only distant sounds that get through the thin walls. It’s like before again, when Baekhyun wasn’t living here.

Of course there are some accidental run-ins with the pink-haired man, but there are not much of them. And when it comes down to it, Baekhyun always flees the scene quickly.

When they meet in front of the elevator, Baekhyun decides to take the stairs instead. When they see each other in the hall, Baekhyun either disappears back into his apartment or rushes to the elevator. When they run into each other in the grocery store, Baekhyun simply brushes past Chanyeol quickly, or suddenly changes direction.

It’s amazing, and Chanyeol feels rather proud of himself for making someone as stubborn as Baekhyun realize that trying to talk to him is fruitless effort. It feels like he accomplished something.

For six days, Chanyeol basks in the feeling of breaking Baekhyun’s stupid determination, practically beaming every time the pink-haired midget disappears from Chanyeol’s sight as soon as their eyes meet.

For six days, Chanyeol enjoys the beautiful silence that comes with Baekhyun not doing whatever things he had been doing before that made so much noise. For the first time in two weeks, Chanyeol doesn’t have to put on his headphones while doing his homework because of Baekhyun, and it feels incredible.

For six days, Chanyeol’s ears are free of Baekhyun’s annoying voice to top it all off.

But after six days, Chanyeol starts feeling strangely uncomfotable with how things turned out to be. Yes, he wished for Baekhyun to drop the friendly act and just leave him be, but now that Baekhyun had actually done that, it doesn’t feel as good as it should.

At first Chanyeol felt amazing when he realized that Baekhyun was going to let him live his life in peace, but six long days later, Chanyeol somehow lost the happiness that came with Baekhyun backing off. It is extremely strange, even Chanyeol fails to believe it completely, but it’s true.

Suddenly, when Chanyeol meets Baekhyun in the hall, he doesn’t feel good about Baekhyun practically running to his apartment’s door and disappearing inside as if the devil himself is chasing him.

Suddenly, Chanyeol stops liking how Baekhyun automatically takes the stairs when it comes down to them having to ride together in the elevator.

Suddenly, Baekhyun actually hiding in the grocery store behind the regarls when Chanyeol walks in starts making him feel extremely bad about himself, knowing that Baekhyun is acting like that only because of him.

But while he still dislikes Baekhyun very much, Chanyeol somehow, for whatever strange reasons, feels his heart clench painfully when he sees Baekhyun’s face twisting in some emotion Chanyeol can’t decipher, the midget’s eyes turning sad every time he does any of the things above.

And Chanyeol hates it.

He hates how Baekhyun is avoiding him with so much effort, as if he was putting all of his determination that was used on trying to befriend Chanyeol into ignorig him. But Chanyeol kind of hates himself too because this should make him happy, it really should. Instead it’s just making him feel shitty.

He is a really good person, people always say it to him, and seeing someone so troubled because of him just makes Chanyeol feel incredibly bad, no matter if it’s his annoying next-door neighbour or his grandmother. It just doesn’t matter.

And besides, the gravely silence that Baekhyun is gifting him with is truly getting on his nerves already. It’s just too much. Baekhyun is trying too much.

However, just as Chanyeol is in the middle of falling asleep, his ears catch a sound of a door being shut, rather loudly. Immediately, Chanyeol knows that it’s Baekhyun’s doing because the sound is followed by footsteps coming from the flat next to his. Not really caring, Chanyeol ignores the sounds while focusing on sleeping.

The thing is, it’s impossible to continue sleeping when Byun fucking Baekhyun keeps on making so much noise. Chanyeol opens his eyes angrily after ten minutes of Baekhyun bumping into the thin walls, as if he fucking can’t walk straight without the help of the wall. As if the midget is drunk or something.

The time on the clock reads _23:46_ , and Chanyeol wonders why is Baekhyun arriving home this late when tomorrow he has to leave at 6:10 in the morning.

And no, Chanyeol isn’t a stalker or anything like that. It’s just that on Fridays Chanyeol always meets Baekhyun at this exact time, him having a morning class for which he needs to leave so early while Baekhyun… while Baekhyun leaves at this time of the day for whatever reasons Chanyeol isn’t interested in.

_Whatever,_ Chanyeol thinks.  _It’s him who’s going to be tired as fuck in the morning._

Chanyeol closes his eyes again, turning to the other side as he tries to go back to dreamland. Then, everything goes silent again, and even though Chanyeol’s ears are perked for more sounds, he fails to catch any noise.

He falls asleep easily, this day tiring him out so much that he craves sleep like probably never before.

However, a few minutes later, Chanyeol wakes up because of his next-door neighbour again.

" _Ahhh,_ yes _._ “

Chanyeol opens his eyes fast like never before after hearing this. Clearly, this was a moan. Quite a loud moan. It was short, but Chanyeol is sure that it was that. There is no way he can mistake this sound for something else, especially not when Baekhyun’s voice was filled with so much pleasure.

„Oh my _god,_ “ comes another sound, this time louder, and Chanyeol springs himself to a sitting position with wide eyes. Again, he checks the clock.  _00:15_ , he was asleep for only around twenty minutes before he was woken up by Baekhyun’s moaning.

Is Baekhyun really fucking pleasuring himself at this hour? In the middle of the night?

Angry, Chanyeol curls one of his hands into a fist, ready to bang on the wall and scream at Baekhyun to stop messing around and letting Chanyeol sleep peacfully, but then–

"Come on, Baek,“ a deeper voice is faintly heard through the walls. Definitely not Baekhyun’s. "Scream my name.“

At this moment, Chanyeol freezes, his mind going blank for a second as he fully understands the situation. Baekhyun isn’t pleasuring himself. Instead, someone else is pleasuring him, making him moan like this. 

Jesus  _fuck_.

Just as the realization hits Chanyeol like a train, he can hear another drawn out moan from the other side of the wall. It’s Baekhyun’s voice again, but this time it’s even more high-pitched than before, more loud. It’s followed by a name, but it’s so messed up that Chanyeol can’t make it out.

„Louder Baek,“ another command from the other man, and this time Chanyeol hears the name clearly, Baekhyun practically screaming it before letting out a sinful, drawn-out moan.

As Chanyeol sits on his bed, still frozen and completely in shock, his ears catch more of the sounds Baekhyun makes, from the already heard low moans to loud whimpers and yelps, mewls and even screams, followed by a broken name from time to time. However, the name is just sometimes heard clearly, since Baekhyun is always cut off in the middle of saying it. As if he was unable talk because his breath hitches almost every single time.

After seconds, minutes even, Chanyeol doesn’t know, one sentence brings him out of his tranz, snapping him back into the reality. "You are taking my cock so good, Baek,“ upon hearing that, Chanyeol stands up from the bed, running to the bathroom with long and quick strides.

When he’s in the bathroom, he walks over to the sink, turning on cold water and splashing it on his face. What the fuck has he just witnessed? Was this even real? Has he really heard his next-door neighbour having sex with another man, who sounded like he was doing a really good job at pleasuring the pink-haired midget, if the sinful sounds were anything to go by? Was it Baekhyun's boyfriend, or just a one night stand? Maybe a fuck buddy?

There is a weird feeling curling in his stomach, and while he is angry at Baekhyun for keeping him away from sleeping because of having a vocal sex in the flat right next to Chanyeol’s, he feels like that’s not all he’s mad about.

And then he feels it. A wave of pleasure hitting him, shooting through his whole body and making Chanyeol look down at his crotch in horror. And when he does, he finds that he’s painfully hard. Byun fucking Baekhyun made him hard with only his stupid whimpers and screams.

_No, that’s stupid,_ Chanyeol tells himself.  _Impossible._ He continues to argue with himself, but the hard-on that’s calling for Chanyeol’s attention is not going away no matter how many times  Chanyeol repeats all variations of  _this can’t be happening._

The moment Chanyeol dares to touch his erection, another one of Baekhyun’s screams pierces the silence. „Fuck you,“ Chanyeol curses, but he isn’t sure if he’s cursing Baekhyun or himself for actually getting a stupid boner while hearing Baekhyun having sex. That’s just fucking nuts.

However, Chanyeol just can’t ignore the problem which is already making his body hurt physically, and when Chanyeol palms his cock through his boxers, he feels it twitch every time his ears catch Baekhyun’s voice in the background. Nobody can really blame him for this - he is a twenty-one years old man who didn't have anyone touching him inappropriately for quite some time. It's only logical that his body reacts after hearing such a sinful voice moaning in pleasure, right?

"Just this once,“ Chanyeol whispers, a promise to himself, as he walks out of the bathroom, his legs moving on their own as he sits down on his bed again, leaning his back against the wall. He sneaks his hand under his boxers, letting out a satisfied huff of air as his hand comes into contact with his cock.

Chanyeol starts moving his hand in slow strokes at first, but soon his hand starts moving faster as Baekhyun’s moans from the other side become clearer, the pink-haired man seemingly not holding himself back anymore. Chanyeol should be furious about it, but now, while his hand is working on his erection, he just wants to hear more.

And Baekhyun gives him more. The guy with Baekhyun must have lost all his restraints because now Baekhyun sounds extremely wrecked, his moans cut short while they reach higher audacity. And while Chanyeol is satisfied with the sounds falling out of Baekhyun’s mouth, there is a fleeting emotion of jealousy. While Chanyeol is pathetically giving himself a hand job while listening to Baekhyun's moaning, the guy on the other side of the wall is having much more than that, and somehow it pisses Chanyeol off.

Upon imagining how tight Baekhyun’s warm heat must be, how his face must look like with his mouth open and eyes closed and how his whole bosy must feel, hot and covered in sweat, Chanyeol feels his orgasm approaching rather quickly, the jealousy still there but almost forgotten as his hand works faster.

All it takes to send Chanyeol over the edge is hearing Baekhyun’s final scream, louder than any other he let out before. Hearing Baekhyun reaching his peak, Chanyeol can't help himself but cum too, biting into his hand strongly in order not to moan out aloud.

It’s only a minor detail that the scream is followed by the stupid man’s name again. Of course it doesn’t make Chanyeol mad with jealousy that he wasn’t the one making Baekhyun cum.

Of course.

 

 

 

When Chanyeol wakes up in the morning, his mood is horrible.

While Chanyeol thought that his consciousness won’t let him sleep after jerking off to the sound of Baekhyun’s voice, it went surprisingly well and after Chanyeol cleaned himself up and flopped himself on the couch in the living room, too tired to change the sheets on his bed that were tained by his cum, Chanyeol fell asleep with extreme ease.

However, after he wakes up, the thing he did a few hours ago comes haunting him, making him feel not only guilty about masturbating to Baekhyun, but also creepy because he literally reached his orgasm while listening to his neighbour having sex. A neighbour whom Chanyeol dislikes with passion, on the top of that.

Disgusted with himself, Chanyeol rises from the couch, and walks over to the bathroom, in a need of shower. "Fuck,“ Chanyeol curses while making his way to the bathroom. Even his back hurts from lying on the stupid couch.

Not realizing it, Chanyeol spends quite some time in the shower, and when he walks out and checks the time, he is terrified to find out that if he doesn’t get out of the flat in the next ten minutes, he is going to miss his buss.

Hurriedly, he brushes his teeth and then gives some little attention to his hair, running out of the bathroom right after and throwing himself into the wardrobe, trying to quickly find clothes to wear.

When Chanyeol’s dressed, he takes his homework in his hand  along with the single pen lying beside it, glad that for today the class will be only about correcting the mistakes in their homework so Chanyeol doesn’t have to stress over his other papers. Sometimes he truly wonders why he decided to spend his winter break with attending extra classes, but then he remembers that he needs them. Not because he is stupid, but because he needs to be the top of the class if he wants to score a good job after he ends university. 

Taking his phone and wallet on the way out, Chanyeol puts them in the pocket of his long coat before putting it on hurriedly. Taking the keys from the small table beside, he swings the door open and shuts it in a second, locking it fastly before running to the elevator.

From distance, Chanyeol can see the elevator door closing, and so he speeds up, putting a hand between the doors before they can close. Letting out a sigh of relief, Chanyeol straightens himself and takes a step forward, walking into the metal box with a smile on his face after he checks the clock.  _6:11_ , he is late just by one minute.

Just when Chanyeol hears a sound coming from beside him, he looks to his right, eyes going wide in surprise when he sees a person standing there. And not just a person, but Byun Baekhyun, his stupid neighbour who made him cum last night just with his voice.

The man’s stance is wary and maybe even a bit scared, Chanyeol notices, and when he looks Baekhyun in th eyes, there is a mix of different emotions that change so quickly that Chanyeol isn’t able to decipher them.

Today, Baekhyun isn‘t wearing his black scarf that is always covering half of his face, and so – rather unfortunately – Baekhyun’s neck is put on display. And it’s covered in hickeys. Some small, just tiny red marks, while there is a big bruised spot right next to Baekhyun’s Adam's apple.

Chanyeol feels the familiar swirl of stupid jealousy in his stomach, and it makes him frown unconsciously. Of course, after being on the receiving end of Chanyeol’s frown, Baekhyun averts his gaze, looking down while biting his lips.

Looking at the pink-haired midget like that, Chanyeol would never guess that he makes such sinful sounds. He looks too cute. Not that Chanyeol thinks of Baekhyun as cute. Hell no. It's just that he knows that people consider him cute, thanks to pouty lips, button nose and small, droopy eyes.

However, as Chanyeol realizes that because of Baekhyun the whole mess during the night happened, an unrational anger makes appearance in Chanyeol’s heart. Because of Baekhyun, Chanyeol had to sleep on the couch and hurt his back. Because of Baekhyun, Chanyeol feels creepy and dirty after jerking off to him. Because of Baekhyun. Everything is because of Baekhyun.

The anger starts mixing with the never leaving jealousy, and Chanyeol suddenly hates Baekhyun like never before. And, being quite bad with dealing with emotions, something in Chanyeol snaps, and he isn’t able to stop the words falling out of his mouth, "So, had fun last night?“

At that, Baekhyun looks at him wide eyes, and it doesn’t take long for him to understand what Chanyeol is talking about. Immediately, Baekhyun’s hand flies up to cover his neck while he moves further away from Chanyeol, looking down in embarrassment as his face starts turning pink.

Chanyeol just smirks. „Judging by how wrecked you sounded, he must have been good,“ he continues, not looking away from Baekhyun, instead watching in amusement as Baekhyun’s lips become a thin line. It's clear Baekhyun wants him to stop, but Chanyeol doesn't really care.

"I was trying to sleep last night but because of you I couldn’t, you could have kept it down a little,“ Chanyeol says casually, as if he wasn’t embarrassing Baekhyun to an incredible extent. By now, the midget’s face is fifty shades of pink already. It only makes Chanyeol want to say more. With a mocking voice, Chanyeol starts again, "The guy was even praising you, isn’t it great? You must be really good if–“

Suddenly, Chanyeol is pushed against one side of the metal box roughly, and it takes him a while to realize that the one who pushed him was Baekhyun. And Baekhyun is still not letting go, his hands fisted in Chanyeol’s coat.

"Wha–“

"Why are you like this to me?!“ Baekhyun screams at him, voice loud but it’s trembling dangerously. Focusing on Baekhyun’s small droopy eyes, Chanyeol can see that they are glistening in the elevator’s lighting, full of unshed tears.

It catches Chanyeol off guard to see the wetness in Baekhyun’s eyes, for some reason. It shouldn’t be surprising, right? People cry, and Baekhyun’s expression for the past six days was all kinds of sad, but still… seeing Baekhyun’s face twisted with hurt and eyes full of tears, it not only makes Chanyeol surprised, but it makes him feel like a complete jerk too.

He did this.

However, before he can attempt to apologize, Baekhyun speaks up again. "What have I ever done to you? Why do you hate me so much?“ his neighbour questions him, voice turning more hoarse with every passing second, with every said word. As Chanyeol watches his eyes, he can finally make out the emotions flashing there. Hurt, anger and confusion are the main trio.

"It’s not–“

Baekhyun cuts him off, but maybe it’s good because Chanyeol actually doesn’t know what to say. He really doesn’t know.

"I was nice to you, but you always brushed me off coldly,“ Baekhyun says, but his voice is slowly getting quieter, as if he didn’t even have the energy to yell at the taller. "Then, I left you alone, avoided you so you’ll be happy,“ the hands fisted in Chanyeol’s coat starts to tremble, and before Chanyeol knows it, there are tears sliding down Baekhyun’s soft cheeks, one after another. "But you’re still not satisfied. Why–“ then, Baekhyun’s voice breaks and Chanyeol swears the pain in his heart is almost physical as he hears Baekhyun’s uneven breathing. "Why do you fucking hate me so much, for real?“

Chanyeol opens his mouth–

And he closes it right after. As before, he doesn’t know what to say, not having any comeback or answer prepared, mostly because all of his thoughts are scattered messily inside his head and he is not being able to collect them and make sense of them because while looking at Baekhyun’s red eyes filled with hurt and wet cheeks from tears, he simply can’t think. It’s impossible.

A second later, the elevator beeps and the doors open. When Baekhyun sees he is not going to get a thing out of Chanyeol, he shakes his head and steps away, finally letting go of Chanyeol’s coat. Angrily wiping away his tears, Baekhyun leaves the elevator with a barely audible whipser of  _fuck you_ , not sparing Chanyeol a glance as he storms out of the metal box, his legs moving quickly to get away from Chanyeol.

At this moment Chanyeol realizes what a fucking asshole he truly is. But it's already too late. The only thing left of Baekhyun in the elevator is his black scarf lying on the floor, some dirty stain on it. As Chanyeol realizes that Baekhyun couldn't wear his scarf because of the stain and not because he wanted to show off his hickeys, Chanyeol feels even more horrible.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again!! I'm here with a new chapter that u will hopefully like lol. sorry for the angst, i promise it will get better.  
> thank you for all your comments and bookmarks and kudos, i really appreciate it. even when i am not in a mood to write, i look at your comments and suddenly i feel like writing again, so i wanna let u know that your support really makes me happy :)
> 
> also, i will be updating the end of my other fic today (one half of it, the second half will be updated on sunday this week, so it's only a two days gap), just for the info if someone was wondering. however, since the cast is down from my finger and i can practice again, i will go to my volleyball practice today and update the fic when i come home, so around 10/11pm (i live in central europe in slovakia). 
> 
> Okay, i hope u will enjoy this chapter and also, vote for exo on mama pls pls. and ignore the hate from armys. (im an army too so its making me sad... the life of a multifandom fan)

"So, why?“

"Why what?“ Chanyeol looks over at Jongdae in confusion.

"Why do you hate him?“ Jongdae asks before biting into his sandwich again, not breaking eye-contact with Chanyeol. The intense look Jongdae is giving him after Chanyeol doesn’t answer for a while makes the taller feel uneasy, and he averts his gaze and looks down instead.

Hands playing with Baekhyun’s scarf, Chanyeol tries to think of his answer carefully, knowing that Jongdae would be angry if Chanyeol wasn’t honest with him after his friend sacrificed his date in order to listen to Chanyeol’s troubles.

However, as his fingers touch the soft cotton fabric of the black scarf, Chanyeol’s mind travels elsewhere, and he remembers the situation in the elevator from this morning. At that time, Chanyeol thought that Baekhyun didn’t wear the fluffy scarf because he wanted to show off his fresh hickeys – which was party what made Chanyeol’s blood boil – but now Chanyeol realizes that he was completely wrong.

It wasn’t because Baekhyun wanted to show off his hickeys, but because his scarf had gotten dirty in the morning – at least that’s what Chanyeol thinks happened. Up until then, Chanyeol didn’t even notice there was a scarf in Baekhyun’s hand, too focused on his neck and face, but it must have fallen out of Baekhyun’s grasp when he launched at Chanyeol.

Chanyeol took up the scarf after he was left alone, and he felt extremely guilty about thinking bad of Baekhyun right away. The scarf was completely wet and when he looked at it closely, there was a huge stain on it too. Baekhyun had probably tried to get rid of the stain, but hadn’t succeeded, even getting his scarf all wet in the proces.

Since Chanyeol was already late and his bus was long gone by now, he decided to go back home and tried to wash the scarf himself, thinking that his guilt would get smaller after. However, even after Chanyeol has gotten rid of the stain, the guilt was as strong as before, eating him up from inside.

And even after almost two hours now, Chanyeol still feels incredibly guilty. Not only for thinking badly of Baekhyun, but also for being so harsh on the pink-haired man from the start.

"I don’t hate him, not really,“ Chanyeol admits, fingers still tangled in the soft scarf. If he truly hated Baekhyun, he wouldn’t feel so horrible after making him cry. "It’s just that… I wasn’t used to having a next-door neighbour like him, and I guess I didn’t even want to get used to it.“

"He sounds much different than Kyungsoo, indeed,“ Jongdae nods, studying Chanyeol’s face. Chanyeol, knowing it, tries to mask his emotions as best as he can, hating to be so seen through.

"He is,“ Chanyeol agrees, sighing.

Chanyeol doesn’t really know Baekhyun, but from the things he has gathered so far, Kyungsoo was the complete opposite of Baekhyun.

While Kyungsoo had never made so much noise when he was living next to Chanyeol, Baekhyun seems unable to keep the noise down, and while Kyungsoo had mostly been quiet when he moved in, Baekhyun’s mouth doesn't stop for one second, not taking clear rejection from Chanyeol seriously.

But the thing is, it’s not only about that. There are more reasons why Chanyeol started disliking Baekhyun and everything about him so strongly.

When he first saw Baekhyun, Chanyeol thought that the man is rather handsome. Yes, he truly did. He even thought that Baekhyun’s voice sounds quite nice, all soft and friendly. But after Baekhyun introduced himself as Chanyeol’s new neighbour, a single bitter thought made Chanyeol dislike Baekhyun - that thought being that this guy is the one who is moving into Kyungsoo's flat. Into Chanyeol's ex-boyfriend flat. And it went down from here, Chanyeol starting to compare Baekhyun to Kyungsoo as if it was the most natural thing to do.

Chanyeol started hating on even the smallest things about Baekhyun, since this was how he coped with Kyungsoo’s apartment finally being occupied by a new person, a person that was so extremely different from the doe-eyed man that Chanyeol loved so much. Stupid and very childish, Chanyeol knows that now.

It started with comparing their appearances first.

Baekhyun has fucking pastel-pink hair, something that stands out way too much and surely catches a lot of attention as well, while Kyungsoo’s hair was a simple black color. The hair was the first thing that didn’t sit right with Chanyeol, immediately making him think that Byun Baekhyun is an attention seeker.

Then, while Kyungsoo’s eyes were beautifully big, Baekhyun’s are rather small, and Chanyeol found himself disliking everything about them. Their droopy shape, size, color and hopeful glint.

Next were Baekhyun’s lips, which may have a pretty shape, but they are way too thin for Chanyeol’s liking. Too different from Kyungsoo’s pump, heart-shaped ones.

Chanyeol even noticed that Baekhyun’s fingers are elegant and slender, while Kyungsoo had smaller, chubbier fingers with nails that were bitten down, an extreme turn from Baekhyun’s well kept ones.

And while both Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were short, there was just something so different about Baekhyun’s posture that it irritated Chanyeol to even see him.

As if comparing Baekhyun’s appearance to Kyungsoo’s so strongly wasn't enough, Chanyeol continued with comparing how Kyungsoo had a stable job after graduating from Seoul National University, while Baekhyun didn’t even attend university, instead working in some local bakery. Finding out that Baekhyun had never attended university just made Chanyeol think of how careless with his future Baekhyun is, rotting as a low-class employee in a bakery as if it is better than having higher education and having a real job after. (Little did Chanyeol know that Baekhyun doesn’t simply work at the bakery, but  _owns_ it.)

To top it off, he even compared their personalities, hating how Baekhyun is way too expressive and loud while Kyungsoo was the type to think over his words carefully before saying anything. Baekhyun even smiles too much, throwing his smiles away every second, while Kyungsoo saved his smile for special occasions.

To simply put it, Chanyeol's only reason for disliking Baekhyun is that the man is too different from Kyungsoo who lived in the apartment currently occupied by Baekhyun. Which, Chanyeol realizes it now, is simply extremely stupid.

However, it's a pity that Chanyeol only realizes it after hurting Baekhyun to the point that the pink-haired man snapped and even cried in front of a person he most likely hates at this point.

"You know, your personalities seem kind of similar,“ Jongdae muses, licking his fingers to get rid of the dresing that is smeared on them because of his messy eating. "Maybe if you weren’t so stupid, you could have become very good friends already.“

Letting out a huge laugh, Chanyeol turns to Jongdae with amusement, averting his eyes from the scarf he was looking at all along. "No way.“

However, Jongdae seems to be serious about his previous sentence, looking at Chanyeol with honesty in his eyes as he says, "Maybe it isn’t too late. After you apologize, maybe you two can–“

"No…  _No_ ,“ Chanyeol shakes his head, taking this seriously when he sees that Jongdae isn’t kidding. Honestly, sometimes is his friend so naive and ridiculous. "I will apologize to him, but I don’t want to be his friend or whatever. I just want him to know I’m sorry, and that’s it. I don't want him to think that I'm a complete asshole.“

"Okay,“ Jongdae says lightly, and Chanyeol narrows his eyes at him and purses his lips slightly in annoyance. Jongdae’s  _okay_ , said in this exact tone, just means that Jongdae has already made up his opinion on the topic and won’t listen to Chanyeol no matter what, thinking that his opinion is completely right.

Which, most of the time – surprisingly – is.

This time though, Chanyeol doesn’t believe that Jongdae would be right.

 

 

 

The next time day meet is a day later around eight in the evening. It’s Chanyeol who first notices Baekhyun, the man standing right in front of the entrance door of their apartment complex.

Baekhyun looks like he’s waiting for someone, checking his mobile and then looking around with a small frown and a pout. He is very well dressed, and while Chanyeol has noticed that Baekhyun dresses nicely and fashionably every day if he’s going out for more than taking out the trash, the midget’s outfit has a special touch to it tonight. He looks really good.

 _Now,_ Chanyeol says to himself as he gets closer, the apology on the tip of his tongue. But then Baekhyun looks up at him upon hearing a person getting closer, and Chanyeol freezes.

He might have said that he will apologize to Baekhyun, and he was even really determined about doing it as soon as possible so he’ll have it out of his way, but the thing is that Chanyeol is a huge coward, and all of his determination is lost the moment Baekhyun’s small eyes meet his.

For a while, they just hold eye-contact, and Chanyeol’s heart starts beating faster due to his nervousness. Why is he even nervous, for god’s sake? This was supposed to be easy, just a short apology so they can have a closure. But now, as Chanyeol keeps looking into Baekhyun’s droopy eyes, the apology just isn’t coming out.

Noticing that Baekhyun has his make-up done today and hair styled as well makes it just a little bit harder, Chanyeol supposes. He has never seen Baekhyun dolled up like that, and the guy has been living in the flat next to Chanyeol’s for something around three weeks now. Maybe it’s the change that shocks Chanyeol so much that he is unable to get the apology out.

Before he can get his courage back though, Baekhyun starts walking away, making his way past Chanyeol without glancing at him even once, leaving the taller standing frozen on the spot alone.

Somehow, Baekhyun avoiding him once again does something to Chanyeol, and he turns around quickly, wanting to call out to Baekhyun and make him stop from leaving. However, as he turns around, Baekhyun is already accompanied by two men who Chanyeol doesn’t know, smiling brightly at both of them.

Deciding that Baekhyun wouldn’t appreciate it if he went to apologize now in front of his friends, Chanyeol decides to do it next time they see each other. After all, when Baekhyun will be his usual messy hair, without make-up self again, there should be no difficulties.

Or so he thought.

 

 

 

In reality, apologizing to Baekhyun is harder than he would have ever expected.

Baekhyun avoiding him before was nothing compared to how things are now. The pink-haired midget is doing much of a better job now, seemingly putting more effort into it because for the past week Chanyeol hasn’t seen him even once. He would even question if Baekhyun still lives next to him, but the occasional noise and the light coming out of  Baekhyun’s apartment is enough of a confirmation that Baekhyun indeed hasn’t moved out, but is only very good at avoiding.

If he doesn’t see Baekhyun, there is no way for him to apologize.

Jongdae told him that he can apologize to him like a normal person and instead of waiting until they accidentally meet somewhere, he can simply go over to Baekhyun’s and say sorry to him while standing on the midget’s doorstep. But that is a completely riduculous idea.

There is no way Chanyeol is going over to Baekhyun’s place to beg for forgivness as if he was that desperate. His apology is meant to be just a casual thing, it isn‘t supposed to look like Chanyeol has been dying to apologize for his horrible behavior so badly because the guilt is making him feel too shitty to live his every day life peacefully. And so, instead of listening to Jongdae and doing what most people would do, Chanyeol waits for a good opportunity.

The thing is, when a good opportunity comes, Chanyeol is tongue tied yet again.

They meet in front of the elevator on Friday, exactly on 6:10 as every week. Baekhyun doesn’t notice him though, too focused on the conversation he’s having with someone on the phone. The man looks slightly frustrated, if the way he pushes the call button for the elevator at least five more times as if it was going to make it come faster is anything to go by. Chanyeol can’t help an amused chuckle that forms on his lips as he watches the midget like this.

Baekhyun only notices him when Chanyeol is maybe one step away from him, and that’s also the exact moment the elevator comes, beeping once as the doors open. The midget glances at Chanyeol, and just as many times before, Baekhyun turns on his heel just a second later, ready to go for the staircase.

Chanyeol wants to call out to him and finally apologize for god’s sake, but wonders if it wouldn’t be rude to interrupt the conversation Baekhyun is having on the phone. Then, Chanyeol gets a sudden idea.

Without thinking much about it, Chanyeol reaches out and gently takes a hold of Baekhyun’s free hand, pulling Baekhyun back by his wrist.

"What the hell?“ Baekhyun whispers more to himself than to Chanyeol, but the taller hears it clearly. Ignoring Baekhyun’s confusion, he simply pulls Baekhyun back and then nudges the pink-haired midget into the elevator, careful not to push him too strongly so Baekhyun wouldn’t misunderstand his intentions and think of it as Chanyeol starting a fight or something.

Baekhyun watches him with question marks in his small eyes, but Chanyeol doesn’t provide an explanation before pushing the ground floor button for Baekhyun and taking a step back. As the metal doors start to close, Chanyeol turns away and starts making his way toward the staircase instead of Baekhyun.

It’s not a real apology, but Chanyeol hopes that Baekhyun understood the gesture. Of course Chanyeol is going to apologize to him properly, but for now it should be enough.

And as Chanyeol starts running down the stairs quickly after realizing that he’ll be late if he keeps up the slow pace, he realizes how much time Baekhyun had been losing every time he took the stairs in order to let Chanyeol have a peaceful elevator ride.     

 

 

 

 

The courage to apologize has never even existed, Chanyeol supposes as he watches Baekhyun leaning against the balcony railing through the window, his staring going unnoticed by the oblivious midget who is too entranced by the night sky to look anywhere else.

In the quite short amount of three days, Chanyeol had at least four ocassions to apologize to Baekhyun, but he always made up some lame excuse in his head in order to not approach his neighbour. Even Chanyeol himself knew that they were completely shitty excuses without anyone having to tell him. However, it was surely easier to make up excuses than actually going up to the pink-haired man and finally saying that he’s sorry about his childish behavior. With Baekhyun, Chanyeol is unable to just man up and do it, for unknown reasons. He even still has Baekhyun’s fucking scarf because he didn’t know how to give it back to him. What a coward Chanyeol truly is, really.

While watching Baekhyun through his window like a creep, Chanyeol wonders why is Baekhyun so different from the poeple he had met up until now. There is just something about him that makes Chanyeol have extreme emotions of all kinds, from anger to… arousal even. Maybe Chanyeol truly reacts too strongly because he still somehow thinks of Baekhyun as some poor replacement for Kyungsoo and it’s making his feelings messed up. Who knows.

Even now, if Chanyeol was able to man up, it would be possible to go and apologize to Baekhyun. He can’t make any excuse about not wanting to bother Baekhyun when he’s with his friends, not wanting to waste Baekhyun’s time when he’s clearly in hurry, not wanting to talk to him when he’s seemingly stressed, and so on. He is certainly not in hurry, he’s alone, and Chanyeol could even make it look like it’s just a coincidence that they met on their shared balcony if he tried. It would be so easy.

However, maybe it’s the fact that Baekhyun looks to be deeply in thought as he stares at the night sky that makes Chanyeol drop the idea of going up to him now. It may sound as just another excuse – and party it is – but Chanyeol doesn’t want to interrupt the man's thinking process with showing up.

And so, Chanyeol simply continues to stare at Baekhyun through his window, wondering what the midget might be thinking about. He looks kind of troubled, sad even, and Chanyeol can’t stop the fleeting thought that crosses his mind about him being the one who is making Baekhyun feel like this. After all, Chanyeol must have really confused Baekhyun with his recent behavior.

While Chanyeol wasn’t able to apologize properly with words, he started doing some little gestures that were supposed to make Baekhyun see that he  _is_  sorry for how he acted toward the shorter male. They are just small things like nudging Baekhyun in the elevator as Chanyeol decides to take the stairs instead, or waiting and holding the entrance door to the building open when he sees Baekhyun coming in the distance, but it’s still something.

Baekhyun seems to be surprised every single time Chanyeol does something like that, noticing the extreme change in Chanyeol’s behavior easily. However, Chanyeol never provides any explanation when Baekhyun looks at him with confusion, overlooking the clear question marks in the small brown eyes.

On the other side, thinking that Baekhyun’s only problem would be Chanyeol’s childish behavior would be slightly self-centered, right?

Little does Chanyeol know that in fact, Baekhyun’s life is completely peaceful it wasn’t for Chanyeol.

 

 

 

Things start to take a surprising turn on the fourth day when they meet in front of the elevator again. It’s early in the morning, six-something, and usually Chanyeol would be still asleep at that time, not having a morning special class on Tuesday, but since he accidentaly took his friend’s textbook instead of his own, Chanyeol has to go and give it back to her before her morning class starts or she would get into a big trouble. So if he’s angry at someone, it’s himself.

Aside from being frustrated with himself, he is extremely tired. He had bad dreams that came out of nowhere last night and after waking up he didn’t exactly want to go back to sleep, so he stayed up almost all night.

Maybe that’s why the beep that signalizes that the elevator’s here goes unnoticed along with the opening of the metal doors. Chanyeol only snaps back to reality when someone walks past him, and after blinking and making his eyes focus, Chanyeol finds out it’s his short next-door neighbour.

Letting out a sigh upon realizing that he’ll have to take the stairs again while feeling like he could fall asleep right here and now, Chanyeol turns away with a mood even worse than two seconds ago.

However, he doesn’t even have time to take one step toward the staircase before he feels a light but effective tug on the sleeve of his coat. "Wait,“ Baekhyun speaks up, voice quiet but steady.

Chanyeol turns to the pink-haired man in surprise, eyes going wide when Baekhyun says, "You can just go with me.“

"Uhm,“ Chanyeol wonders if the lack of ability to communicate properly is because of how tired he is, or because of how shocked he is to hear Baekhyun’s words. Clearing his throat, Chanyeol shakes his head slightly. "No, it’s fine. I’m–“

"Taking the stairs is pain in the ass and it takes too long,“ Baekhyun rolls his eyes, and it’s the first time Chanyeol sees this side of Baekhyun. The midget had never spoken to him with such a nonchalant voice, and on the top of that, he is sure that he had never cut Chanyeol off while the taller was speaking either. It had been Chanyeol’s job. "Just come with me. It’s not a big deal.“

"Really, it’s–“

"Unless you think that spending, like, twenty seconds in the elevator with me is so much worse. Then you’re free to go,“ Baekhyun might be saying that, but the fact that he’s still tugging at Chanyeol‘s sleeve is making it clear that he doesn’t really want the taller male turning his offer down.

And since Chanyeol doesn’t want Baekhyun to think that the option of spending those twenty seconds in Baekhyun’s company disgusts him to the extent he would choose to take the stairs, Chanyeol gives in.

"Okay,“ Chanyeol says as he turns back and steps into the elevator, pressing the ground floor button that Baekhyun didn’t have time to press yet.

As the elevator’s door close and everything goes silent again, Chanyeol dares to look at Baekhyun from the corner of his eyes. Immediately, he feels a strong urge to let out a small laugh upon seeing the midget’s stance. While Baekhyun looked so tough and mouthy just a moment ago, now he’s back to looking all nervous and fidgety.

Chanyeol doesn’t want to laugh at Baekhyun out of malice or anything like that, it’s just that the quick change of character seems just too funny to Chanyeol. It’s kind of endearing, and Chanyeol can’t help but wonder how many different personalities Baekhyun has.

The ride down is quiet, and Chanyeol spends it all thinking of how this could be a perfect opportunity to apologize. They are alone, there is no rush because they can’t possible make the elevator go faster, and they even met accidentaly. And yet, no words are coming out of Chanyeol’s mouth.

Before he can find the courage, the elevator doors open and Baekhyun is out in the second, making small but quick steps as he walks further away from Chanyeol. He doesn’t even glance back one time.

 _Way to go, Chanyeol,_ he praises himself ironically as he watches Baekhyun’s retreating form.  _You’ve missed yet another opportunity._

But still, Chanyeol can’t shake off the feeling that something has changed between them in just these short twenty seconds, and it’s all because of Baekhyun. Unlike Chanyeol, Baekhyun was brave enough to stop the ridiculous avoiding game with taking action, and while the gesture would look like nothing big to many people, Chanyeol knows better.

Maybe he should take Baekhyun as an example and stop being such a coward. After all, Baekhyun has taken the first step, it would be stupid of Chanyeol to throw away the opportunity Baekhyun had given him.

 

\--

 

For the past three days, Baekhyun has been completely, utterly, fully confused by Chanyeol’s behavior.

The guy is horrible to him at first, turning down Baekhyun’s every attempt to start a conversation and then when Baekhyun gives up on talking to him, he practically beams for a few days before firing at Baekhyun, embarrassing him so much that Baekhyun fucking cried.  _Which is even more embarrassing_ , Baekhyun thinks.

To Baekhyun’s defense, he tried to be quiet that night. He was biting into his hand the whole time in order to mute his moans, the mark that was on his wrist for almost two days being a proof. But then,  _whatever,_ Baekhyun thought. He wanted to give in to the pleasure, and Chanyeol couldn’t have stopped him. He was quiet for so long, didn’t make any noise and that was just one night. And still, Chanyeol made him feel incredibly bad for it.

After Baekhyun screamed at him in the elevator, it seemed that things have started to change. Chanyeol was suddenly a whole lot nicer to him, doing things he had never done before. He was still not talking to Baekhyun at all, but from the subtle actions Baekhyun understood what Chanyeol was trying to say. And while Chanyeol didn’t know, Baekhyun has already accepted the apology three days ago when Chanyeol pushed him into the elevator and took the stairs instead.

Baekhyun thought it would be only a one time thing. He didn’t expect Chanyeol to take the stairs every day, and he certainly didn’t expect the giant to wait for him and hold the door for Baekhyun. And just like that, Baekhyun’s crush on Chanyeol was back, even stronger than before.

Maybe it was because of his sudden strong feelings being back that Baekhyun somehow found the courage to act tough in front of Chanyeol this morning. However, the tough act quickly left Baekhyun when the elevator doors closed and suddenly Baekhyun felt more nervous than ever before.

He didn’t know if he should start a conversation like many times before because he was afraid of being turned down, so Baekhyun was only left with one option - to stand awkwardly on the other side of the elevator until they reached ground floor and run away like a nervous wreck he was right after.

And now when Baekhyun tells all of this to Sehun, he doesn’t know if he should feel giddy because his crush more-or-less willingly took the elevator with him, or if he should be embarrassed as hell because of his cowardness.

With his next words Sehun made him forget the happiness, though. "You are too happy about it,“ he says. "He had been a giant asshole the whole time and now he’s finally behaving civil. He isn’t nice, Baekhyun. He only acts like that now because he is guilty as fuck about snapping at you and making you cry... What the hell is even wrong with having sex in your own damn flat,“ at the end of his speech, Sehun rolls his eyes and mutters under his breath, "He had most likely even jerked off to the sound of your voice or some shit like that, that's why he acted like that - he was too embarrassed."

"He would never,“ Baekhyun might be saying this, but Sehun knows that the smaller male likes the idea too much for his own good because his face turns all red. Or is it because Sehun said something so sexual? "He would never see me in that light.“

"Then what’s the point in crushing on him?“ asking, Sehun tries to reach for another cookie from the display of the shop, but Baekhyun is quick to slap his hand away, hissing a frustrated  _these are not for you but for customers_ at his friend. However, he knows that trying to make Sehun stop eating treats that are supposed to be for customers is a waste of time and energy, since the taller will be at it in a few minutes again.

"You can’t say no to your heart,“ Baekhyun argues, but it only makes Sehun laugh, the younger having to cover his mouth so his laughter won’t be heard by everyone in the bakery.

"That was so cheesy,“ he gets out while still laughing. "Besides, you don’t even know him. For all you know, he can be a serial killer.“

"He’s not.“

"How do you know?“

"I don’t–“

"See?“ Sehun asks, beaming as if he accomplished some big achievement. "You don’t know him.“

"Fuck you,“ Baekhyun spits out, but he knows Sehun is right. He doesn’t know anything about Chanyeol, how exactly can he have a crush on him? Is it because Chanyeol is his exact type, appearance wise? It might be because being physically attractive is enough to woo Baekhyun, really. Still, "I don’t remember you saying that you can’t have a crush on someone just because of their looks when that Lu Han guy came to the shop yesterday.“

When Sehun’s mouth is shut and the younger’s face starts looking as red as Baekhyun’s own just moments ago, he knows that he won the argument. Not entirely, but at least one part of it.

"It’s different with Lu Han,“ Sehun mutters as he eats the last bits of the cookie, looking rather flustered while talking about the Chinese man.

"How exactly?“ Baekhyun asks.

"For one, everyone says how nice and caring he is, even those people who don’t know him personally. I’m crushing on someone who has a kind personality,“ sending Baekhyun a look, he finishes his sentence with, "Unlike someone.“

"Oh, really,“ Baekhyun rolls his eyes, trying to look like there is no truth in Sehun’s words while knowing very well that there is. Still, he tries to deffened Chanyeol. "I’m sure Chanyeol is nice too. He just acted that way because he didn’t like me.“

"So… he likes you now?“

Frowning, Baekhyun huffs in annoyance and turns to leave, but not before letting Sehun know how much he disliked this conversation. "You know what, go back to work, I’ve had enough of this. You are just making me feel terrible while I was actually in a good mood today.“

"Baekhyun, wait,“ Sehun stops Baekhyun from leaving, stepping right in front of the smaller. Baekhyun doesn’t even look at him, clearly too frustrated to spare Sehun a glance. "I just don’t want you to be sad because of some asshole. Again.“

Upon hearing Sehun’s concerned voice, Baekhyun starts feeling guilty about snapping at him like that while his friend was just trying to look out for him, as always. Since they were kids, Sehun has been concerned about Baekhyun's well being more than Baekhyun himself, always being by the shorter's side to defend him or give him a warning if he had a bad feeling about something. Most of these warnings are about how Baekhyun should be careful with his feelings, but it's not like he can change the way he gets attached so easily. However, he appreciates how concerned Sehun is for him every time. 

Sighing, Baekhyun looks up at Sehun and gives him a small, reassuring smile. "I’m gonna be okay, Sehun. Don’t worry.“

It‘s just a simple crush, anyway. Baekhyun has crushes all the time. This one, like many others, will surely pass quickly. After all, aside from looking incredibly good, having a perfect deep voice and showing some signs of not being a complete asshole, there is nothing going for Chanyeol. Baekhyun can already see himself in a situation where he meets someone who looks equally good as Chanyeol but for a change isn’t a jerk and that person will surely charm Baekhyun enough to forget about his next-door neighbour. It’s usually like that.

It will surely be like that with Chanyeol too. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey! Back again with another chapter! It feels weird to update just one one fic lol i need to start write a new fic again. 
> 
> Anyway, i hope u like this chapter and as always, thank u for allthe support u gift me with. I'm really happy bcs of it even tho i have tons of homework and my life is basically shit. So, yea, thanks a lot guys

Only that Chanyeol is suddenly not that much of an asshole anymore.

When they meet again, it’s one day later at noon, and Baekhyun is ready to go out and meet up with Sehun and a few of his friends from university. It’s especially cold today and Baekhyun even had a fleeting though of cancelling the meet up because he isn’t that fond of cold weather, but in the end decided against it.

Baekhyun put on his warmest clothes and a winter coat to top it off, but his only problem is that he doesn’t have a scarf. After he lost it somewhere that day he finally confronted Chanyeol in the elevator, he hasn't bought a new one because it was rather warm and thus Baekhyun kind of forgot about it. But now when it’s so cold again he curses himself for forgetting because he’s going to freeze without a scarf at this rate.

And that’s when his next-door neighbour takes appearance.

Baekhyun sees Chanyeol right as he turns away from his apartment’s door, the taller man most likely returning home after being out for quite some time, judging by his rosy cheeks, slightly purple lips and huge winter coat.

Immediately, Baekhyun feels his heart rate quickening slightly after he makes eye-contact with Chanyeol, but he does his best to hide it. As he walks past Chanyeol, he gives the man a small, shy smile, which Chanyeol – of course – doesn’t return. Baekhyun is used to it and he honestly didn’t expect Chanyeol to greet him enthusiasticaly either, but getting no reaction at all kind of hurts.

Baekhyun is already feeling a little down when Chanyeol suddenly stops him, taking a hold of Baekhyun’s wrist. "Hey, wait.“

The shorter male turns to Chanyeol with surprise written all over his face, and he blinks a few times as he looks up at his neighbour. "Uh, yes?“ Baekhyun asks when Chanyeol just keeps looking at him without saying anything.

Clearing his throat, Chanyeol averts his eyes and lets go of Baekhyun’s wrist, saying, "It’s really cold outside. Like, hella cold. You should wear a scarf or something.“

Chanyeol’s voice sounds nonchalant and without any emotion, but the way the guy is looking on the wall besides them as if he isn’t able to look at Baekhyun is enough to let the shorter know that he isn’t as collected as he’s trying to look.

"I don’t have one,“ Baekhyun tells him, rubbing his wrist that still feels like burning from Chanyeol’s touch. "I’ve lost it somewhere some time ago,“ he explains, and when Chanyeol stays silent for another while, Baekhyun turns to leave again with a slight nod of his head as he starts feeling rather awkward just standing there.

Yet again though, he is stopped by Chanyeol. "Can you just… uhm… wait here for a second?“ he asks, but before the shorter can answer, Chanyeol disappears in his flat, leaving his door open as if Baekhyun agreed to wait for him to come back.

However, Baekhyun truly stays put, waiting for Chanyeol in the hallway for an unknown reason. He can hear some noise coming out of Chanyeol’s apartment and then a loud yelp following right after. „Are you alri– oh,“ Baekhyun jumps back when Chanyeol runs out of his apartment with something in his hands. Something that looks exactly like Baekhyun’s black scarf he lost days ago.

Baekhyun frowns in confusion and is already opening his mouth to ask about it, but Chanyeol starts explaining himself before Baekhyun can get anything out, "You’ve dropped it in the elevator that day,“ he says, voice sounding much more nervous than before. "I washed it and– yeah… here,“ Chanyeol reaches out his hand, wanting to hand the scarf to Baekhyun, but the pink-haired man doesn’t move to take it. Instead, he just stares at Chanyeol without blinking.

"You had it all this time?“ Baekhyun asks quietly, his eyes going from the scarf in Chanyeol’s hands to Chanyeol’s face repeatedly. Really, for how long has Chanyeol had his scarf? Why didn’t he return it sooner?

"I might have, but it doesn’t matter, just take it already,“ Chanyeol pushes the scarf closer to Baekhyun, urging him to take it back. The giant truly looks nervous as he stands in front of Baekhyun, biting into his lower lip while looking anywhere but at Baekhyun. However, when Baekhyun doesn’t make any move to grab his scarf, Chanyeol can’t take the tension between them anymore.

Letting out a sigh, Chanyeol steps closer to Baekhyun and wraps the scarf around the shorter’s neck messily. Then, he steps away and with a whisper of, "Bye,“ he’s gone inside of his apartment, leaving Baekhyun alone.

It takes only a few short seconds before Baekhyun’s whole body starts feeling incredibly hot, and his face turns all shades of pink as he breathes in Chanyeol’s scent that he can smell from the scarf.

As he starts walking in the direction of the elevator after he collects himself a bit, Baekhyun can’t stop grinning as he repeats what has happened in his mind over and over again. And he doesn’t stop grinning at the memory for the rest of the day.

 

 

 

After that, things really do start changing. While Chanyeol and Baekhyun are nowhere near friends category, they aren’t ignoring each other anymore.

When they meet in front of the elevator, they take it together even though the grave silence between them is really awkward. When they meet in the grocery shop, they continue shopping without avoiding each other like a pleague which makes even the staff of the shop happy, since they don’t have to deal with seeing Baekhyun hiding behind regals.

It’s a nice change indeed because Baekhyun doesn’t feel so extremely hated by Chanyeol anymore and it truly makes him feel so much better, knowing that his next-door neighbour is acting so civil with him.

When he tells all of this to Sehun, his friend only warns him not to get too attached because for all they know, Chanyeol can snap again at any given moment without really having a reason. Baekhyun likes to believe that they are past that, but he can’t help worrying a little Sehun  _might_ be right.

However, he chases this negative thought out of his head every time Sehun gives him the  _be careful_ speech. "Don’t worry. He looks like he’s over hating my guts,“ he always says.

Maybe if Baekhyun spent more time preparing himself mentally for Chanyeol snapping at him than assuring Sehun that it won’t happen, he would take it a lot better when the moment Chanyeol snaps finally comes.

 

\--

 

Chanyeol has been grumpy all day and everyone who knows him even a little is aware of the reason. After all, who can forget about the fact that on this exact day Chanyeol had started dating Kyungsoo when Chanyeol had been screaming about it all day a year ago at this time of the year. Literally everyone knew about the two becoming an item, just as everyone knew about them breaking up nine months later when Kyungsoo moved to Busan, leaving Chanyeol behind.

Knowing that Chanyeol is still not completely over Kyungsoo and today is just reminding the giant of how miserably his relationship has ended, almost nobody dares to approach him before or after class in a fear that they would either get a stinky eye from Chanyeol or would get yelled at. However, some people still don't get the message from looking at his dark expression, coming up to him not just to talk, but to confess their feelings for him. And Chanyeol wants to be angry and lash out at them, but then he remembers that he can't really be angry at a person who approaches him with that hopeful glint in the eyes, thinking that maybe Chanyeol would return their feelings. Because last year he was like that too, confessing to Kyungsoo because he thought of how beautifully romantic it will be to get together with his love on Valentine's Day. 

Fortunately for Chanyeol, it worked out last year and he got what he wanted, starting a relationship with Kyungsoo because - surprisingly - the doe-eyed beauty liked him back. 

Unfortunately for Chanyeol, now when his relationship has failed, he has to deal with the pain of seeing everyone around him confessing, getting together and celebrating their already-existing relationship while he is left depressed as he thinks about how badly things have worked out for him. Even for a second he can't stop himself from thinking about how amazing and in love he was last year, which is a complete opposite of how Chanyeol feels today. 

Chanyeol truly hates Valentine's Day now, and he just wishes it would be over already.

He thought that if he gets home from university it will get better because there won't be any people and he can just sulk in the silence of his flat, but his mood just turns more sour when he steps through the door in the evening after his afternoon class ends because everything reminds him of Kyungsoo. Every part of his flat carries memories which are only bringing him more pain and he feels his heart breaking slowly over the love he tried so hard to forget, since Kyungsoo is most definitely not coming back any time soon, already having his own life in Busan. A life that he doesn't share with Chanyeol anymore. 

It hurts. It hurts so much and Chanyeol just wants it to stop.

He doesn't cry, not having any tears left after crying for so many hours after the break up, but he really wants to. Jongdae has always told him not to bottle up his emotions and cry when he needs to because it's supposed to get better after that, but Chanyeol calls bullshit. Crying has never helped him get over Kyungsoo, nor it has saved him pain from the heartbreak. And all of these painful feelings he had three months back are coming back to him today, on a day that could have been their one year anniversary. 

Chanyeol tries to focus on something else and decides that it wouldn't hurt to take a nap since there is nothing better to do, but after trying to fall asleep for twenty minutes without succeeding Chanyeol gives up. Frustrated and with his heart throbbing painfully he grabs his hoodie from the couch and goes out to get some fresh air, flopping himself down on a simple wooden chair as he brings his eyes up to look at the sky that's slowly but surely turning darker every second.

Chanyeol wonders if going to sit on the balcony was a good idea because all he can think about is how Kyungsoo and him spent their mornings side by side on this balcony, sipping black coffee and chatting with ease, starting their days with each others' company. 

Slowly but surely, as Chanyeol keeps remembering their happy times, his sadness turns into anger of some sort. He's hurting so much that he just keeps getting more and more frustrated, desperate to know why it was so easy for Kyungsoo to leave him, not thinking once of trying a long distance relationship when Chanyeol asked him to consider it. It hurts, but it also makes Chanyeol incredibly upset because, fuck, where did he go wrong? Was he just not enough? Why was he not good enough? 

Sighing deeply, Chanyeol runs his hands through his hair, tugging at it a chant of  _not good enough_ repeats itself in his head. He wants to turn back time and try to be a better boyfriend, thinking that the relationship with Kyungsoo could have ended entirely differently if he tried harder.

All he wishes for right now is for Kyungsoo to be back, but when the balcony doors belonging to the flat next to his open and a person comes through them, Chanyeol - much to his disappointment - doesn't find Kyungsoo standing there. The person standing there is Baekhyun, dressed in a loose shirt and black sweatpants, his pink hair a mess, and while the man hasn't even said anything yet, Chanyeol can't help the feeling of hatred blossoming in his chest all of sudden, despising the fact that instead of his ex-boyfriend there is this complete opposite of him standing in front of Chanyeol. Baekhyun is truly the last person he wants to see right now. 

"Hi," Baekkhyun greets him with a hesitant smile, sensing that Chanyeol isn't in the best mood, which is really easy to figure out since Chanyeol's dark expression accompanied with a deep frown is enough of a hint. But like so many times before, Baekhyun ignores it. "I noticed you've been here for a while and- uh... Well, you look kind of sad and I-... yeah," fumbling over his words, Baekhyun quickly walks over to Chanyeol and places a piece of chocolate cake with a fork on the small table in front of the giant, stepping back immediately and looking down at his shoes. Until now, Chanyeol didn't even notice that there was a cake in Baekhyun's hands, since he was too busy glaring at the pink-haired man. 

Chanyeol eyes the cake and then looks back at Baekhyun, his frown deepening even more. The midget looks nervous in front of him, his hands playing with the hem of the incredibly loose shirt that he's wearing while his eyes are glued to the ground. When he chances a glance at Chanyeol a second later, there is this weirdly hopeful glint in his brown orbs.

"It's one of the best cakes I've ever eaten, really. S-So I thought it could cheer you up a little if you're feeling down," Baekhyun speaks up again, stuttering. Thinking that the midget in front of him looks like that one shy girl that confessed to Chanyeol today is making him feel sick. "And if you want to talk to someone about something that's bothering you, you can talk to me. I'm a great listener, and-"

"Shut up," Chanyeol can't listen to Baekhyun's shit anymore. Just looking at the guy is making his blood boil because everything Chanyeol is capable of thinking about is how this person is living in the flat that belonged to Kyungsoo, and how much he wants to trade Baekhyun for Kyungsoo right now. "Why should I talk to you about my problems? As if you could ever understand," chuckling humorlessly, Chanyeol continues talking even though his brain is telling him to stop. Deep down he knows that he's hurting Baekhyun with his words, but he is so blinded by his own frustration that he ignores the voices which are screaming at him not to lash out at Baekhyun because the guy doesn't deserve it. 

Despite how taken aback by Chanyeol's harsh tone Baekhyun is, the pink-haired male gets together another sentence. "I can, if you tell me." 

"I  _won't_ tell you," Chanyeol stands up abruptly, making Baekhyun flinch. With just one step forward, he is right in front of Baekhyun, towering over his short neighbour who doesn't move away and stays frozen in place instead, a hint of fear reflecting in his small eyes.  _Stop, it's not his fault_ , a voice in Chanyeol's head says, but same as before, he ignores it. "I won't tell you because we are not friends. I don't even like you," Chanyeol spits out, letting out a short laugh that is giving his words an incredibly harsh meaning.

Looking straight into Baekhyun's eyes, Chanyeol can already see them watering, hurt replacing fear. To be honest, it's making Chanyeol feel somewhat satisfied because instead of being on the receiving end of the painful words, he's holding the power to hurt someone else. Why is it that hurting someone else feels so good at times like these? Why does it feel as if a weight is being lifted off his shoulders?

Chanyeol doesn't know the answer. The only thing he knows is that it's helping him vent out his frustration and Baekhyun just happens to be the one to take it all. 

"You are seriously so annoying, from day one," Chanyeol shakes his head at Baekhyun who just stands there, listening to Chanyeol while biting his lower lip to keep himself from crying. "I really can't stand you. Why did you have to move in? Of all apartments in Seoul, why did it have to be this one?" to make a point, Chanyeol gestures to Baekhyun's apartment. "You wanna know what's my problem?  _You_. You are," Chanyeol's hand flies up and he jabs his index finger into Baekhyun's chest, hard. Baekhyun stumbles a little, but still doesn't flee. "Just because I was civil to you for a few days doesn't mean we are friends, or whatever you think we are. I hate you so much you can't even imagine it, so if you really want to help me, then just leave me alone. Or move out. I don't care. Just disappear for fuck's sake." 

Chanyeol is panting by the time he's done, saying all of it in one breath. While he is trying to get some oxygen back to his lungs, Baekhyun is still standing in front of him unmovingly, eyes full of unshed tears. His lower lip is trembling and Chanyeol can even see blood there from how hard Baekhyun was biting into it the whole time. The pink-haired male is staring back at him, expression blank while his eyes are letting his true emotions shine. 

"Are you done?" is what comes out of Baekhyun's mouth next, and if Chanyeol wants to be completely honest he has to say that he didn't expect this kind of reaction. He expected Baekhyun to either leave or shove him up against a wall once again, but none of that happens. Instead, Baekhyun raises his hand slowly and grabs Chanyeol's wrist with trembling fingers, moving the giant's hand away, since the taller's finger was still painfully jabbing into Baekhyun's chest. "Are you feeling better?" 

"Yes. Incredibly," Chanyeol blurts out his response without thinking much about it just as Baekhyun lets go off his wrist, slender fingers leaving a fleeting burning sensation on the place they touched Chanyeol's wrist. 

And then, the most unthinkable thing happens. 

Baekhyun smiles, lips tugged upwards in a broken fashion that somehow makes Chanyeol feel like his heart is suddenly falling into an endless black abyss. As Chanyeol's eyes widen in surprise when he sees it, he quickly looks up into Baekhyun's brown orbs again, hoping to find answers for this kind of reaction. He expects to see hatred in Baekhyun's eyes after all Chanyeol has said to him, but there is not a slightest hint of that. Only sadness. Never ending sadness. 

"I'm glad that I could help then," Baekhyun says, and as the shorter male turns to leave Chanyeol swears that he has seen a tear sliding down the pink-haired man's cheek. However, he will never be able to find out if he has seen correctly because Baekhyun disappears inside his apartment in a blink of an eye, leaving Chanyeol standing alone on the balcony. The lights in Baekhyun's flat are turned off just a moment later, and Chanyeol is suddenly engulfed in silence when he sits back down on his chair. 

For a while he just sits there, looking at the chocolate cake in front of him with a deep frown, his emotions a mess. There is still a lot of frustration from before, but instead of Kyungsoo's face his mind is occupied with Baekhyun's, the short male with attention-grabbing pink hair staring at him with watery eyes from his memory. As seconds pass though, his anger slowly changes into guilt as Baekhyun's broken smile keeps reappearing in his mind, and it only takes a few moments before Chanyeol is having his hands balled in fists, cursing himself for acting like a complete jerk again.

Baekhyun was just being nice. He was trying to help Chanyeol, offering him a cake that was supposed to make him feel better, and he was even willing to listen to Chanyeol who was practically a stranger. A stranger that's been way too bad to Baekhyun this whole time. And what did Chanyeol do in exchange for Baekhyun's kindness? He snapped at him, saying all those awful things that weren't even true anymore. They were a few weeks ago, but not now. He was actually getting used to Baekhyun being his next-door neighbour, getting to a stage of not caring  _that_ much. But today he was an emotional mess and seeing Baekhyun walking out of what was Kyungsoo's apartment three months back was something that took him over the edge, and poor Baekhyun was unlucky enough to be the person Chanyeol lashed out at. 

What's worse is that Chanyeol not only hurt Baekhyun again, but he enjoyed it. At that time, he truly enjoyed it. Now however, not that much. 

If guilt was eating him up from inside after that one time Baekhyun threw him against the elevator's wall and screamed at him, this time it's much worse. This was a royal fuck up from Chanyeol and he wonders if feeling this shitty will finally be enough for him to man up and actually apologize to Baekhyun for everything. 

Although the problem is, will Baekhyun even give him a chance to say sorry after the stunt he pulled today? 

Honestly, if he was in Baekhyun's shoes, he would not want to talk to himself neither.  

 

\--

 

Baekhyun was stupid to think that Chanyeol might like him. For the past days, his neighbour was really nice to him and maybe that's what made Baekhyun think that they can become friends, or at least get along well enough to live next to each other without the awkward and tense atmosphere. It felt really nice when Chanyeol started behaving so differently toward Baekhyun, and Baekhyun - as naive as ever - thought that things could change for better between them. He should have known better.

Sehun even warned him about Chanyeol, telling Baekhyun not to think much about the giant being nice to him for a few days because it can end as quickly as it started. And like so many times before Sehun was right, and Baekhyun is left feeling so hurt that it physically pains him. 

It shouldn't hurt so much because he doesn't even know Chanyeol, not really, but somehow it does. Chanyeol snapping at him like that, telling Baekhyun all of those things, and voicing out Baekhyun's worries about the giant still hating him to the gut hurts too much and he wonders why did he even try when it was useless from the start. On the other side, Baekhyun should already be used to this kind of pain. It's not the first time he was rejected this harshly, and honestly, at one point it was even worse than now. So yes, he should be used to it. But he's not. His heart is bleeding and it feels the same as the first time, not hurting any less. 

Wiping away his tears and taking a deep breath, Baekhyun tells himself that he has to calm down. Crying won't solve anything, it never does. He should just stop thinking about it and move on, now knowing that every attempt to befriend Chanyeol is plainly pointless. Chanyeol doesn't like him. He said it very clearly. And Baekhyun should respect that and leave him alone, not getting his hopes up just because the man is civil to him for a week or so.

"Baekhyun?... Baekhyun, please come back."

But then again, it's hard not getting his hopes up when Park Chanyeol succeeds in confusing the shit out of him every single time, making Baekhyun think that he likes him for one second and hates him just a moment later, just like he is doing now. Why is he doing this to Baekhyun? Why does he keep on giving mixed signals without caring if Baekhyun spends his nights sleepless because he just can't seem to stop thinking about the giant next-door who is behaving differently every time they meet?

"Come back and talk to me," Chanyeol calls out again, knocking softly on the glass door of the balcony with his finger. His voice is laced with guilt, but that isn't enough for Baekhyun to give in and just open the door to Chanyeol, letting his neighbour talk to him. Chanyeol had a chance to say what he wanted a few minutes ago and he made himself pretty clear. What else is there to talk about?

"Why should I?" yes, why should he? Chanyeol told him that he wants Baekhyun to disappear, going on and on about how much he hates him and wants him out of his life, and now he suddenly wants to talk? What is even wrong with Park Chanyeol?

Frustrated, Baekhyun wipes away the tears on his cheeks, feeling the wetness on the back of his hand. It only reminds him of how much he hates crying, and how much he hates himself for crying every time something like this happens.

"Because I want to apologize to you... Properly," Chanyeol says, adding the last word a second later as if it was an after thought, something that wasn't even meant to be said out loud. There is something other than guilt in Chanyeol's voice, Baekhyun can tell, but he can't decipher the emotion. He has never been good in reading people, there was Sehun to help him with that. 

"No need," Baekhyun tells him, his back leaning against the cold glass door, head leaning back and eyes closed as he tries to collect all of his thoughts and get himself together in the process because as long as he's this emotionally wrecked there is not a chance he will fall asleep and get the rest he needs so much. 

He left work early because he was feeling extremely tired today and also he was totally not in the mood for staying at work for another long few hours, bakery being busy during Valentine's Day. It's not like he doesn't like happy couples buying pastries at his shop or seeing the shy smiles that people throw at each other before confessing their feelings after dancing around each other for god knows how long. In fact, Baekhyun loves seeing other people's love. Is it weird, to be in love with other people's love? It shouldn't be. Baekhyun is just admiring something he has never had, not for real anyway. Nobody has ever been serious about him.  

"Please," Chanyeol begs him, and Baekhyun bites his lower lip, shaking his head. He feels his heart already giving in to Chanyeol's pleads, but he is determined to listen to his brain instead of his heart for once. After all, his stupid heart is what always gets him in a mess. Sadness is slowly replaced by frustration as Baekhyun hears Chanyeol's next words, "Just one minute. Give me just one minute."

Exhaling deeply, Baekhyun's teeth finally stop worrying his lower lip when he leaves his mouth open in order to breathe easier, feeling his lungs betraying him as always when there is a stressful situation much like this one.  _Just go to bed,_ his brain is telling him, while his heart screams at him to open the door to Chanyeol and hear his neighbour out. He knows which one should he listen to, he really does. So why is he still standing there, with his back against the glass door?

"Come on, please-" however, upon hearing Chanyeol saying please for one more time, the decision is made without Baekhyun even fully processing it. His heart wins. 

He opens the door swiftly, clearly startling Chanyeol who jumps back and yelps quietly when suddenly Baekhyun is face to face with him again, the glass door out of the way. However, Baekhyun doesn't give the giant any time to collect himself before confronting him. 

"Listen," Baekhyun starts, the frustration from before that made him open the balcony door quickly disappearing when he looks into Chanyeol's eyes. The giant truly looks like he is guilty for his outburst earlier and it's making Baekhyun even more confused. "It's fine. You don't have to apologize for how you feel. I understand, and I will keep my distance."

"No, Baekhyun-"

" _No, Chanyeol_ ," Baekhyun cuts him off, mimicking his neighbour's words with a sigh. He is so damn tired from dealing with Chanyeol, and right now he just wants to go to bed and mourn his stupid existence in the silence of his room. On the top of that, he feels embarrassed when Chanyeol's eyes keep scanning his tear-streaked face before going back to Baekhyun's brown orbs. "If you want to apologize out of pity, then don't. I'm a big boy, I can deal with rejection," letting out a humorless chuckle, Baekhyun runs a hand through his messy hair, closing his eyes because that way he doesn't have to see Chanyeol's guilty expression.  

"I'm not doing it out of pity."

"Then why are you doing it?" asking the question that's been bugging him all along, Baekhyun's voice comes out more desperate for answers than intended. But who can blame him, really? Baekhyun simply can't figure out Chanyeol's true intentions, can't figure out why is Chanyeol nice to him one second and then he seems ready to kill him the next. Being a person that gets hopes up easily, Chanyeol's rejection hurts more after the giant let him think that they are on a good note. 

Chanyeol doesn't answer Baekhyun's question, and Baekhyun can only take so much tense silence before deciding that embarrassing himself further isn't worth one stupid answer. Fuck Chanyeol, really. If he wants to behave like a complete dick and then doesn't feel the need to even prove an explanation, then so be it. For all Baekhyun knows, Chanyeol could have been making fun of him behind his back and Baekhyun wouldn't even know. But that ends now. He is done being Chanyeol's laughing stock. 

He mutters a curse under his breath and turns on his heel, aiming for the balcony door. It takes Baekhyun by surprise when he is stopped by Chanyeol's hand as the giant's palm presses against the glass, keeping the door closed. "Wait," Chanyeol says hurriedly, and Baekhyun wishes he had never turned around because as he finds out, he is incredibly close to Chanyeol, the man hovering over him with his menacing height.  

Baekhyun is unable to utter a word with Chanyeol's face so close to his, already feeling his face heating up at the proximity. He truly can't help it. After all, when a man as handsome as Chanyeol towers over him there is no way Baekhyun can keep his cool, no matter if his neighbour is an asshole or not. For a moment, even Baekhyun forgets how to breathe when Chanyeol stares at him with his beautiful big eyes, losing himself in the giant's orbs. 

"I want to apologize because I feel bad about being shitty to you. You don't deserve it, and I'm sorry for being a jerk," Chanyeol starts, his voice serious. "It's just that I'm having a hard time dealing with some stuff, and I took it out on you."

"You don't have to explain yourself to me," Baekhyun says, finding his voice again. He pushes his back into the cold, glass surface of the door in order to get more distance between them, but Chanyeol doesn't seem to sense Baekhyun's discomfort that comes with being so close. If anything, Chanyeol seems to lean in more, Baekhyun's breath hitching as he does so. If Chanyeol's didn't look so serious at the moment, Baekhyun would think that Chanyeol is just toying with his feelings, knowing very well that Baekhyun is smitten with him. 

"You asked why I'm doing it, this is my answer."

"You are so confusing," Baekhyun shakes his head, looking down. That way he doesn't have to deal with those bright eyes looking straight into his soul.

"I know," Chanyeol sighs, finally backing off and stepping back, letting Baekhyun breathe. The shorter looks up and their eyes meet again, both of them just staring at each other before Chanyeol whispers a quiet, "Sorry."

The giant looks so sincere and so apologetic that Baekhyun has already forgiven him in his head, no matter how hard he tried to be angry at the man. However, it's always been like this with Baekhyun - him being unable to hold grudges for long and forgiving people for their mistakes or crude behavior easily. That's mostly why people take advantage of him most of the time, knowing that Baekhyun is too nice for his own good. Sehun is always there to kick their asses afterwards if they hurt Baekhyun though, being Baekhyun's biggest protector. 

"It's okay-"

"No, really. I'm sorry. I didn't mean the things I've said, about me wishing for you to disappear and all. It was really just me taking out my frustration on you because I'm stupid like that," Chanyeol continues explaining himself, licking his lips nervously once he's done. Not knowing what to say, Baekhyun just stands there, his back still pressed against the balcony door. It's really awkward, and Baekhyun is preparing himself to leave again with another reassuring  _it's fine_ but Chanyeol, again, doesn't let him leave. Before the pink-haired man can say anything more, Chanyeol proposes an idea that must have come to his mind during the silence that had stretched between them. "Let me treat you to lunch."

"What?" Baekhyun asks, eyes going wide. He was certainly not expecting that.

"Let me treat you to lunch," Chanyeol repeats. "As an apology for my shitty behavior."

"You don't have to do that," Baekhyun shakes his head. There is no need for Chanyeol to make amends, he has already apologized anyway. Baekhyun even said it's okay, so there is no need for Chanyeol to treat him to anything. Besides, it would only be awkward, and Baekhyun would most likely die if he went on lunch with the person he's been crazy about for some time now. 

"I want to. It's not out of pity, it's just me wanting to spend some time with you... to get to know you better... and stuff. You know, since we live next to each other, and as you said, we seem to be the same age... so... yeah," Chanyeol ends his speech with a light chuckle, scratching the back of his neck nervously. Baekhyun is truly just a second away from fainting, his heart beating fast after hearing the proposition, his breath stuck in his throat. No getting any response from the pink-haired man, Chanyeol asks, "So, how about it?"

Instead of answering with a yes or no, Baekhyun questions, "When?" his voice strained and not sounding like Baekhyun at all.

"Tomorrow, if you want to. Or you can choose, anytime's good with me."

Is this actually happening? Is Chanyeol really asking him out for to lunch? Even though Baekhyun knows Chanyeol isn't asking him on a date or anything similar to that and just wants to treat Baekhyun as an apology, it makes Baekhyun's heart beat even faster and stronger against his ribcage. He is sure that he is already all red from blushing so hard, and he just hopes that Chanyeol won't notice. After all, it's already a noon and the lightning isn't that perfect. 

"Uhm- y-yeah... We can do that," Baekhyun stutters, trying to calm his breathing. Clearing his throat, he decides to sound more confident in his answer. "Tomorrow is good."

"Amazing," Chanyeol gives him a rather awkward smile, but it's still a smile nonetheless and Baekhyun is already starting to feel lightheaded. Chanyeol has never smiled at him, and he's been living there for a month now. Of course, if the mocking smirk on the giant's lips when he was teasing Baekhyun in the elevator about hearing him having sex days ago didn't count. "Be ready around 13:00, then."

At that moment, Baekhyun realizes something. "I'm working tomorrow, though."

"Oh, really?" Chanyeol asks. "Then... I can pick you up? You work at the bakery down the street right?"

It would be an understatement to say that Baekhyun is surprised by Chanyeol's behavior. After all, who can blame Baekhyun for being surprised when most of what he's heard from Chanyeol until now were crude words and not exactly friendly remarks. Seeing Chanyeol being like this, even remembering where Baekhyun works, the pink-haired man thinks he's dreaming. If it wasn't for the ass-biting cold, he would bet his whole being that this is not a reality but just a very nice dream. 

"Yeah," Baekhyun nods, not being able to say more than that, his mind racing. Much like his heart, honestly. "Anyway, I have to go now. I have... something to do," wanting to get out of this situation, Baekhyun lies. He hopes that he's not extremely obvious with it. "My lunch break starts at 13:30."

"I'll be there," Chanyeol replies, and if he sensed that Baekhyun was lying just to flee, he doesn't mention it. Baekhyun can only be grateful. 

Nodding once again, Baekhyun finally opens the balcony door and actually manages to get into his flat without Chanyeol stopping him this time, and as soon as he is out of his neighbour's sight he walks over the the couch in the living room and flops himself down on it, face first.  _Is this really happening?_ Baekhyun questions, not even trying to fight the happy grin that finds its way to his lips after he gets over the previous shock. While there is still part of him thinking that Chanyeol might be asking him out for a friendly lunch out of pity, there is a bigger part of him that wants to be believe that his neighbour truly does want to get to know Baekhyun better, maybe even befriend him.

Baekhyun hopes he isn't wrong.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello!! sorry its kinda late already when im updating, but i was at work and at work we cant even have mobiles so i couldnt even update through my phone. so yes, have the chapter now lol. even though it's late. this time, the angst is not strong and not even here if u think about it. 
> 
> also i have a very serious question for the future so pls answer in the comments :) - would u read something with a good plot/idea even though it's brutal? like, it includes violence and maybe even rape? not between the main character, but violence/rape between one of the main characters and one side character. like, would u read something explicitly violent?

Baekhyun has been thinking about Chanyeol's invitation to lunch since the man asked him about it, meaning that it has been on his mind for quite a few hours now. He is torn between feeling nervous and happy, and his mind is completely unfocused because the only thing he can think about is Chanyeol. While Baekhyun knows that Chanyeol invited him out just because he felt guilty about how he had acted and the lunch is supposed to be his apology, the pink-haired man simply can't collect his emotions. He keeps wondering what could be the possible outcomes of this lunch with his neighbour, the bad ones and the good ones.

Being a dreamer since he was young, Baekhyun has always took time with thinking about  _what if_ s, spending nights wide awake while thinking about everything that could happen. Some of his scenarios are usually too unreal and there is close to none possibility that his fantasies would happen in real life, but Baekhyun doesn't care. He just likes to dream, drowning himself in the temporary happiness because he can never know when will everything go to shit - which happens quite frequently, to be honest. 

However, Baekhyun doesn't always have happy fantasies. He also has dark thoughts, stressing over everything bad that could happen because nothing is ever only good, life has taught him that. The phase of nervousness and negative thoughts always comes just a few minutes before the situation Baekhyun has been thinking about the whole time is about to happen, making him momentarily forget all of his pretty fantasies due to being under the pressure of a single thought -  _w_ _hat if everything goes wrong?_  

And Baekhyun feels that he is slowly getting into this stupid phase yet again the closer he is to meeting Chanyeol. Of course, Sehun - as his best friend - is bound to notice.

"So, what's making you all restless?" Sehun asks while stuffing the display with more baked goods. It's always good to have the displays full during lunch time because there are lots of people craving a small dessert after a good lunch, which makes the bakery full of people. That's why lunch breaks for the employees of the bakery are either before the normal lunch time or after - the place isn't as busy then. 

"I'm having a lunch today with someone," Baekhyun says, helping Sehun filling the displays. "And I really... I'm really afraid I will screw up."

"Oh, it's  _the_ phase again," Sehun muses, his question answered. He has known Baekhyun for long enough to know what is going on in Baekhyun's head in such situations. "Who are you having the lunch with, by the way? Someone important, guessing by how stressed out you are."

Baekhyun doesn't answer immediately, and it catches his friend's attention right away. Sehun glances at him from the corners of his eyes, rising both of his eyebrows slightly when he notices the blush coloring Baekhyun's cheeks. When Baekhyun feels Sehun's curious gaze on him, he gives in, knowing that the dancer would eventually made him reveal the name of his today's companion anyway. 

"With Chanyeol," his voice is rather quiet as he answers Sehun's question, and he puts the utmost effort in avoiding his friend's eyes. He knows what Sehun's expression looks like right now anyway - certainly not pleased at all by Baekhyun's words. It isn't the least bit different from all the times Sehun has judged Baekhyun for meeting up with someone that only meant trouble in Sehun's eyes, trouble that Baekhyun was not yet aware of. 

"Why would you go out with him?" Sehun questions, voice a mix of confusion and something similar to bitterness. It's obvious that his friend isn't exactly glad that Baekhyun has a lunch scheduled with the same guy that has been emotionally torturing the man for some days now. 

Ignoring Sehun's displeased tone, Baekhyun tries to answer the question as casual as possible, "We kind of argued yesterday-"

"Of course you did," Sehun interjects shortly, but Baekhyun doesn't let himself be fazed by it, continuing as if Sehun hasn't spoken.

"-and then he apologized, asking if I don't want to have lunch with him -  as an apology, obviously," explaining the situation shortly, daring to glance at Sehun right after. It's honestly not surprising to see the dancer's expression darken even more, as if the mere thought of Baekhyun having lunch together with Chanyeol is making him ready to kill. 

"Still, you haven't answered my question, not really," Sehun says. "Why would you go out with such an asshole? You could have rejected his offer."

And it's very true. Baekhyun could have rejected - maybe even  _should_  have done it, given how many times Chanyeol had been so mean to him while Baekhyun hadn't done anything bad or hadn't harm his neighbour in any way. Chanyeol would have most likely understood Baekhyun's rejection, being very aware of his bad behavior himself, but there is a reason Baekhyun haven't told no to Chanyeol. 

"I've wanted to go out with him," Baekhyun admits quietly, somehow ashamed of himself. His reason is as stupid as it could be, but it's the truth, no matter how pathetic it is to want to go out with a person that's been only mean to him since they know each other. "What if there is more to him than a grumpy self, I mean? I want to know."

"Why? So you can hopelessly fall in love with someone again when you find out that they are not that much of a dick?" the sarcasm is dripping from Sehun's voice in big, fat drops, and Baekhyun just frowns, rolling his eyes. 

"I've never been in love, you know that, it's always been just crushes," Baekhyun corrects Sehun, not knowing if he should be proud of the correction he has made or not. He is already twenty two years old, and he has never been in love, not even once. His previous dates were simply crushes that ended before Baekhyun could even realize it, love not having time enough to bloom in that short amount of time. "So why would he be the first one I fall in love with?"

"I hope he won't be, I don't like him," Sehun mutters.

"Firsty, he won't be. Secondly, you don't even know Chanyeol, how can you say that you don't like him?" Baekhyun scoffs and puts the last piece of pastry into the display, side-glancing Sehun even though he already knows the answer.

"Because he is an asshole,"  _of course,_ Baekhyun thinks, but on the outside he just rolls his eyes once more. He has heard this quite a few times already. "And you seem to fall for assholes frequently."

"Whatever," is what Baekhyun says to end this ridiculous conversation, not wanting to stress himself any further and talking with Sehun doesn't exactly help. 

 

\--

 

Chanyeol is more nervous than he thought he would be. He tries telling himself that it's going to be alright and that the lunch with Baekhyun isn't worth stressing over anyway, but no matter how many times he tries to calm down by degrading the importance of the lunch meeting with Baekhyun, he can't help but feel his stomach twisting in nervousness. Chanyeol doesn't understand why he feels that way, but he guesses it's because he knows that it's either going to be awkward as fuck, or going to end horribly. A possibility that it can actually be a pleasant time escapes his mind completely because, well, it's not really a possibility to be honest. Chanyeol can't even imagine himself enjoying the time he is yet to spend with Baekhyun, the idea to invite the pink-haired man out being just a stupid thought that crossed his mind at that moment. Pity that he can't take it back.

He wonders if he should just stop by Baekhyun's workplace and say that something came up and that they will have to cancel the lunch, but throws the idea away because that would be too see-through. Also, as much as Chanyeol hates to admit it, since it's making him feel like a complete asshole, Baekhyun deserves a proper apology and this might as well be Chanyeol's chance. Besides, it will just take a few minutes, Chanyeol can deal with that. After Chanyeol apologizes they won't even have to exchange as much as polite greetings when they meet next time, so spending a few minutes on an awkward lunch with the pink-haired man is definitely worth saving the trouble for the upcoming days.  

That's what Chanyeol keeps repeating to himself until he stops in front of the bakery Baekhyun works at, hands sweaty and lips wet from how many times he has already licked them - a thing he always does when he's nervous. Honestly, the last time he was this stressed was when he was asking Kyungsoo out, which was a pretty long time ago. And this is even a completely different situation -  a situation during which Chanyeol should  _not_ be feeling this way.

It only gets worse when he makes eye-contact with Baekhyun through the giant glass window of the bakery, the man's expression brightening upon seeing Chanyeol before it falls a little right after. Chanyeol watches Baekhyun taking off his pastel pink apron, the piece of clothing not only fitting with the shop's concept but also looking like a great combination with Baekhyun's pink hair that is almost the exact same color. Then, Chanyeol sees him talking to some tall co-worker before his neighbour starts making his way toward the entrance of the shop, more specifically toward Chanyeol, putting on his coat as he walks. 

Chanyeol's heart rate quickens dangerously, and he gulps when Baekhyun opens the door and is suddenly standing in front of him, a scarf now wrapped around his neck and covering half of his face like it usually does, only Baekhyun's eyes poking out along with that small button nose of his. "Hi," the greeting that leaves the pink-haired man's mouth is muffled by his scarf, barely audible. And is his voice trembling as well? It sure sounds like it to Chanyeol. 

"Hey," Chanyeol greets back, keeping his voice steady and collected. After all, there is nothing to be stressed about, it'll be just a short lunch with his neighbour whom he doesn't necessarily like, but doesn't hate either - which Chanyeol has come to realize a while ago. Nothing horrible. Chanyeol can deal with a few minutes of awkwardness just fine. 

It looks like Chanyeol's inner self-boosting took some time because Baekhyun shifts uncomfortably and looks away from Chanyeol after clearing his throat, eyes on the pavement as he asks, "So... uhm, where are we going?" 

Upon hearing that, Chanyeol finally snaps out of it and comes back to reality, and he focuses his gaze on the smaller guy in front of him who is standing there with his eyes glued to the ground, playing with his fingers, an action that Chanyeol barely sees because of the long sleeves of Baekhyun's coat. 

"Well, I don't think you know the restaurant so it would be useless to tell you its name. Also, it isn't anything fancy if you were expecting that, sorry," Chanyeol chuckles and turns to the direction he came from, trying to give Baekhyun a small, encouraging smile, hoping that the pink-haired man will see it and relax a bit. However, his neighbour doesn't look up in the end, only nodding along as he decides to follow Chanyeol to wherever they are going. 

Before the whole drama started, Chanyeol remembers that Baekhyun used to smile a lot, a grin so bright that it could rival the Sun most of the time. When he talked to Chanyeol, he seemingly blurted out everything that came to his mind, his small eyes glistening with a weird yet pretty spark. Baekhyun was one of the most talkative people Chanyeol has ever met, and now... he is just silent, walking beside Chanyeol without even looking up at the man, his eyes not having the same glint as before and his posture definitely not as relaxed as it used to be as well. 

And Chanyeol knows that it's all his fault. 

Baekhyun wasn't afraid to start a conversation with Chanyeol before, but after everything that has happened he sure looks like he is fearing the idea of Chanyeol harshly replying to his attempts at small talk, or even snapping at the poor guy. Chanyeol hates it, the fact that he has made someone like Baekhyun, someone naturally sociable and talkative, afraid of talking to him. He wants to change it, wants to make Baekhyun see he has already realized that his behavior was simply stupid and childish and that the stage of being unreasonably mean to Baekhyun is long gone. 

He wants Baekhyun to stop being afraid to talk. 

"How is work going so far? Are you having a busy day?" Chanyeol asks in a light tone, side-glancing Baekhyun to see his reaction. Never initiating the conversation himself, not even bothering to respond most of the time, Chanyeol can't quite believe that he's doing this. However, when he sees the familiar glint spark up in Baekhyun's eyes as the shorter looks up at him with disbelief upon hearing Chanyeol's voice, Chanyeol is glad that he decided to speak up. 

Baekhyun doesn't answer immediately, probably due to the shock, and before speaking he casts his eyes to the ground again after a few seconds of staring at Chanyeol. "It's good," he mumbles, voice hesitant. Chanyeol thinks that this is all Baekhyun will say, at least for now, but is positively surprised when Baekhyun elaborates, tone more steady this time, "It was quite busy today, but nothing too bad."

"That's good, then," Chanyeol nods, turning right and glancing behind to see if Baekhyun is following him. Fortunately, Baekhyun is still there, turning right along with Chanyeol even when his eyes are glued to the pavement, that being exactly the reason Chanyeol was worried of losing Baekhyun in the crowd of people on the street. 

An awkward silence stretches between them, and Chanyeol isn't even surprised. He expected this to happen, and even managed to prepare himself for this a little. Thanks to that, Chanyeol isn't all that fazed when the only sounds that are filling the air are sounds of the busy street of Seoul, people chatting away and cars everywhere. However, when he looks at Baekhyun the guy seems extremely uncomfortable because of the silence, the complete opposite of Chanyeol. 

The thing is, Chanyeol doesn't know what should he say or ask to fill the silence. Should he ask Baekhyun more questions about his work? Should he ask him how he's doing in general? Should he just go on and just say something completely random in order to make Baekhyun feel more at ease? 

When has he even started feeling obligated to make Baekhyun feel comfortable in his company? He doesn't remember being concerned about the guy a few days ago.

"Uhm, how was your day?" Baekhyun's question interrupts his train of thoughts, and when Chanyeol turns his head to look at the man walking by his side he sees that Baekhyun isn't looking at the ground anymore,  his small eyes trailing around the street while half of his face is still hidden under his black scarf instead. While Baekhyun is still avoiding eye-contact, Chanyeol would say that it's at least a small win. 

"Nothing exciting, honestly," Chanyeol answers.

Before he can elaborate his answer in order to fill out the silence that would most likely come, Baekhyun asks another question as he gestures to the book in Chanyeol's hand with a few papers stuffed inside of it, "Did you have a lesson today?" and then, a second later, "Aren't you on winter break, though?" 

Looking down at it, Chanyeol lets out a quiet  _oh_ , as if he just now realized that he is actually holding the book. "I am," he answers. "But I take advanced classes two times a week."

"What do you study, if it's okay of me to ask?" Baekhyun asks, and there is this hint of hesitation again that only reminds Chanyeol that he is the very one who has made Baekhyun so wary around him. Before, Baekhyun didn't bother to ask for permission before interrogating Chanyeol, but thanks to Chanyeol's mean behavior and quite strong mood changes, the pink-haired man is now afraid to just blurt out whatever questions he has on his mind. 

"It's okay," Chanyeol assures Baekhyun, thinking that maybe it can help if he says it like that. "I study economy at SNU."

"That's amazing," Baekhyun says. "It's one of the best universities in South Korea, right? You must have worked a lot to get there." 

"You could say that," nodding, Chanyeol smiles to himself a little when Baekhyun nods in approval. "I dedicated my highschool life to it, to be honest."

All his life, Chanyeol had been studying hard to get perfect grades and get a scholarship from his dream school, many times even missing out on meet ups with friends in order to go through additional homework or advanced math. When some of his friends had asked Chanyeol if he truly wants to spend his free time studying, Chanyeol had always ignored the question. They just hadn't understood. They hadn't understood that Chanyeol likes math, likes numbers, and that he would have done everything to be able to study economy at SNU in the future - even sacrificing his free time to perfect his grades from other subject because the university would never accept him solely for his outstanding math skills. 

Chanyeol had never had a hard time understanding math, truly. It had always been easy for him, solutions coming to his brain naturally without much trying. Some had said it's in his genes and some had said that he's just extremely smart, and while Chanyeol hadn't known the answer as to why his brain seems to work on hundred percent when there are numbers involved, he had just known that math is  _fun -_ even though many would like to disagree - and that he wants to work with numbers in his future. 

That's why being accepted into SNU three years ago was his dream come true. After all the late night studying, after all the missed out opportunities to hang out with friends, after all tears of frustration that had rolled down his cheeks when he had to study for subjects he completely hadn't get - like biology, for example - in order to get a good grade and so much _more_ , his dream has come true. 

It's not that Chanyeol likes to be cocky about attending SNU, definitely not. It's just that he is so proud of himself for fulfilling his dream that he can't help but smile. Next on his schedule is scoring a good job, and he is going to work equally hard for that too. 

"It was an incredible feeling, right?" Baekhyun starts saying softly, trailing after Chanyeol when the taller turns right and opens the entrance door to the restaurant, holding it open for Baekhyun too. They both slip inside and the warmness welcomes them with open arms, making them sigh happily in unison when they are finally saved from the ass-biting cold weather of February. And just then, as Chanyeol makes his way to the table he always sits at in the corner of the room, does Baekhyun finish his thought while following the giant, "Making your dream come true after working for it so hard, I mean."

Surprised, Chanyeol stops abruptly and turns his head to look at his companion, big eyes even wider as he looks at the pink-haired midget who doesn't even notice that he is being stared at, too busy with unwrapping the scarf from around his neck. "Yeah..." is all Chanyeol manages to say in response, eyes never leaving Baekhyun's face. 

Usually, when Chanyeol tells his peers that he did his utmost to get into SNU, trading his social life for studying, they either look at him with pity or even go as far as replying with  _That's so sad. Highschool is supposed to be fun!_ He thought Baekhyun would say something similar too, after all what other can a guy that hasn't even applied for any university say? People like him can't possibly imagine what Chanyeol had been through. So yes, it's understandable that he would expect the midget to have some shallow reply, coming off so careless and immature with his pink hair and a simple job in a local bakery.

But Baekhyun has surely managed to shock him with his words. Words, that usually come out of mouths of adults who think of Chanyeol as a very mature and smart man with a clear view of future, or students from any prestigious universities who had lived through the same struggles as him as well. How is it possible that someone who looks so simple-minded actually seems to  _understand_?

"...Is something wrong? Are you not going to sit?" Baekhyun's voice brings him back to reality, and Chanyeol clears his throat awkwardly and nods, finally sitting down on the chair as he starts unbuttoning his coat. Chanyeol's thoughts are slowly becoming a mess as Chanyeol starts to realize that he might have judged his neighbour too soon. 

Chancing a glance at Baekhyun, Chanyeol watches his companion shift in his seat awkwardly, cheeks tainted with pink just like the tip of his button nose, small eyes studying the unfamiliar place around him with such an innocently curious expression that Chanyeol feels a painful pang in his chest when he remembers that he made the same innocently-looking man cry not only once, but twice. 

Suddenly, a strong urge to immediately apologize for his behavior hits him, and Chanyeol is already opening his mouth to get the apology out when someone interrupts him.

"Hey, Baek," the voice is somewhat familiar, but when Chanyeol turns to look at the new-comer - or better said  _intruder -_ he doesn't recognize him at all, and he would go as far as saying that he has never seen this person in his life. 

The guy standing beside their table is quite tall but definitely shorter than Chanyeol, skin having a beautiful bronze tone. Chestnut-colored hair styled perfectly as if the wind outside wasn't any of the guy's concerns, features defined and jaw sharp, eyes gentle with a hint of mischief as he stares at Baekhyun with a smile, showing off his pearly white teeth. He has a perfect smile, attractive just like his whole self, and Chanyeol wonders if the guy is a model. Not just because of his face, but also because of his fashionable clothes that just make him look too outstanding. 

Who is this man- "Hi, Jongin. What are you doing here?" 

 _Jongin?_ Chanyeol repeats the name in his head, trying to connect it to every name he has heard in his life but to no avail - he is sure that he doesn't know the guy, since the name doesn't sound familiar at all. However, this Jongin guy also doesn't seem to know Chanyeol, and he doesn't seem to be interested in him as well. By the looks of it, Jongin is only interested in Baekhyun, completely ignoring Chanyeol's presence as if Chanyeol isn't even there to begin with. 

"I wanted to get lunch there and I saw you entering too, so I thought I could join you... maybe...?" Jongin forms it into a question, adding a small laugh at the end of the sentence. Chanyeol can't help but stare at him, half because of the guy's good looks and half because of the fact that he _is_ interrupting Chanyeol's lunch with Baekhyun. Does he literally not see Chanyeol sitting right there? 

"I- uhm.. I'm already having lunch with Chanyeol," Baekhyun gestures toward Chanyeol awkwardly if not even shyly, and Chanyeol watches as Jongin's eyebrows shoot up immediately, expression shocked. Maybe if Chanyeol paid more attention to the way Baekhyun said his name than to the way Jongin reacts, he would have heard how Baekhyun put emphasis on Chanyeol's name, his neighbour and the newcomer sharing a secret just with one word.  

But even if Chanyeol missed it the first time, there is no way to miss it the second time as Jongin turns to Chanyeol with a fake-pleasant smile, his eyes suddenly turning cold. "Nice to meet you, _Chanyeol_ ," he says, bowing the tiniest bit. "I'm Kim Jongin, a friend of Baekhyun. He told me some... things about you," the moment the words leave Jongin's mouth, Chanyeol hears Baekhyun groaning loudly in the background. 

"Yeah, nice to meet you too."

This positively makes Chanyeol uncomfortable as hell. There is something seriously wrong with Jongin's overly friendly tone, and Chanyeol is sure that the poor attempt at hiding the hostility behind that fake sweetness is intentional, Jongin wanting to convey his true emotions while putting on a show. Jongin doesn't want Chanyeol to buy his act, he doesn't even  _try_ to pretend well enough.

But more importantly, Jongin said that Baekhyun had told him things about Chanyeol. What things? Probably a lot of bad things, since until now him and Baekhyun were on pretty bad terms. The worst terms, to be exact, and all thanks to Chanyeol himself. Jongin's bitterness starts making sense as Chanyeol connects his bad behavior toward Baekhyun and the fact that Baekhyun and Jongin are friends, understanding that if Baekhyun mentioned only one of their previous encounters to one of his friends, that said friend must hate Chanyeol to the core. Right now that said friend is Kim Jongin. 

Thousands of thoughts come flooding into Chanyeol's mind all at once, most of them being just questions that Chanyeol desperately needs to know the answer for. 

 _What things has Baekhyun told Jongin about me?_ is the main question, but then there are more stupid ones that have literally no relevance right now like  _How do Jongin and Baekhyun know each other?_ Although Chanyeol shouldn't be concerned about how far goes the history between Jongin and Baekhyun, he somehow  _is._ Maybe it's because of how Jongin hijacked their lunch that was supposed to be Chanyeol's apology, sitting down on the third chair without waiting for an invitation from Chanyeol, being alright with only getting a yes from Baekhyun, and maybe it's because Baekhyun and Jongin seem to be... quite close, if the touches and the way they speak is anything to go by, making him feel like a third wheel, and Chanyeol hates it. 

Baekhyun even forgets about Chanyeol for a while, his attention all on Jongin now, and while Chanyeol wants to interrupt the conversation and remind Baekhyun that this was  _their_ lunch to begin with, the words die in his throat as his eyes focus on Baekhyun, this time for real, not only superficially. As he looks at Baekhyun, _truly looks at him_ , everything around the midget becomes a blur. 

There is not a hint of nervousness in Baekhyun's voice when he speaks to Jongin and his eyes are sparkling prettily, a smile plastered on his neighbour's face the whole time. Sometimes, his cheeks would color into a slight pink when Jongin says something complimenting, and he would become rather bashful, covering his face with his hands while laughing in embarrassment - and Jongin then compliments how pretty Baekhyun's hands are too, sending Baekhyun into another round of giggles. At times, Jongin would touch Baekhyun fleetingly - definitely on purpose - and the midget would blush furiously as if he has never been touched before, quickly moving the tiniest bit away. However, even if Baekhyun moves away, it's clear that the touches are not bothering him, it's just that Baekhyun seems... so damn shy. Shy, and yet strangely comfortable in Jongin's company. Something he is definitely not with Chanyeol.  

Slowly, Chanyeol forgets about the fact that he is being entirely over-looked, too busy with staring at Baekhyun. He focuses on his body language more, noticing that when Baekhyun is trying to hide a smile he would bite his lower lip, casting his eyes downwards as his cheeks become pink, or that he would often laugh to mask sudden discomfort. However, when he laughs truthfully, his eyes would disappear completely, turning into crescents, and he would throw his head back, loudly laughing as if he was alone and not surrounded by many people that throw glances at him.

Sometimes, Baekhyun would play with his fingers when he's talking, even tapping them against the surface of the table when he's trying to remember what he wanted to say. Then, he would run a hand through his pink hair in frustration when he truly can't remember, letting out a groan that makes Jongin laugh. Another thing Chanyeol notices is that Baekhyun's nose would crunch in distaste when there is something the man doesn't enjoy seeing or hearing, and his expression would turn incredibly bitter - no use in hiding it. 

There are some small quirks too that don't escape Chanyeol's eyes, since the pink-haired midget is way too expressive, being an open book which is there for everyone to read. Baekhyun doesn't hide his emotions most of the time, and even if he tries to hide his true feelings with spluttering some nonsense, his body language gives him away right away. 

Really, the exact opposite of Kyungsoo.  

But somehow, even though the midget sitting across the table is not his type at all, Chanyeol has to admit that... Baekhyun has a unique charm. 

 

 

 

 

In the end, Chanyeol and Baekhyun don't talk much during the whole lunch, Jongin stealing away ninety-nine percent of Baekhyun's attention. And so, Chanyeol just awkwardly sits there and eats his lunch in an almost-complete silence, letting the two friends chat animatedly as if he wasn't even there. Chanyeol has a lot of time to think just as he has lot of time to simply watch Baekhyun, and he wonders what would it be like if Jongin didn't show up, what would it be like to have this lunch solely with Baekhyun, just the two of them.

Would it be more awkward than it is now, when Chanyeol is third-wheeling so badly, or would it actually be nice? What would they talk about? Would Baekhyun feel uncomfortable with just Chanyeol here, or would the midget eventually relax around his neighbour? 

And also, what would it be like if Jongin finally stopped hitting on Baekhyun so obviously. Not like Chanyeol is jealous, definitely not. He doesn't even have a reason to be. It's just that it is starting to be annoying, how Jongin just flirts with Baekhyun as if Chanyeol wasn't there. 

 _Guess there is no way to find out now,_ Chanyeol thinks as the waiter shows up with the receipt after twenty-five minutes when their food is already eaten, the lunch meet up Chanyeol was so stressed about coming to an end. He is already pulling out his wallet to pay not only for his lunch but for Baekhyun's as well, since this is an apology and all, but Jongin is faster than Chanyeol and puts the bills on the table for all three of them, speaking up before Chanyeol can protest, "I'm paying since I hijacked your lunch. However, I really have to hurry now, so if you'll excuse me..." with that said, Jongin leans down and kisses the corner of Baekhyun's mouth softly as if it was the most normal thing to do while saying goodbye, his smile turning into a mischievous one as he adds, "If you ever need to  _forget about all of your problems for a moment_ again _,_ just call me, Baek."

After that, his eyes meet Chanyeol's briefly and the next second Jongin is out of the restaurant door, leaving Baekhyun in a form of blushing mess behind along with a shocked Chanyeol. That voice... that voice sounded extremely familiar. Chanyeol just can't remember-

 

_"Come on Baek... Scream my name."_

_  
_

A memory that Chanyeol swore to forget flashes through his mind and he chokes on his own spit, not only because the memory of jerking himself off to his neighbour's voice - a voice that belongs to the same person that's standing right in front of him, note it - comes back, but also because the second voice Chanyeol could hear that night kind of resembles Jongin's. But that can't be true, it just-

 

_"Louder, Baek."_

 

No-

 

_"You are taking my cock so good, Baek."_

_  
_

It was truly Jongin who was with Baekhyun that night. It must have been him, Chanyeol is sure now.

The whole time, Jongin's gentle and friendly voice sounded strangely familiar but Chanyeol pushed that thought away because he was certain he didn't know the guy, but now after Chanyeol was able to hear how Jongin's voice sounds when it's laced with arousal and is just an octave lower, he has finally realized why that voice was so damn familiar. 

Jesus fuck, Chanyeol just met the guy that had sex with Baekhyun that night, and he even unknowingly spent his lunch with him. What is this twisted fate?

Chanyeol glances at Baekhyun with wide eyes, finding out that his neighbour's face is heating up with every passing second instead of returning to its natural color, and upon seeing Baekhyun so flustered, Chanyeol starts unconsciously blushing as well. It's obvious that Baekhyun realizes that now Chanyeol knows that Jongin is  _the one,_ and suddenly the overly bashful behavior Baekhyun was sporting during the whole lunch makes a lot more sense to the other - the midget was so embarrassed by the light touches and compliments because Jongin was his partner on  _that_ night. 

Plus, Jongin he was subtly teasing Chanyeol all time long while Chanyeol was just too stupid to notice. Jongin fucking knew that Chanyeol has heard them that night, and he took so much pleasure with his teasing remarks that are starting to make sense just now. The straightforward eye-contact with Chanyeol after he kissed the corner of Baekhyun's mouth was Jongin spelling it out for Chanyeol in case the taller hadn't figured it out until then, and it was certainly a cherry on top.

God, how could Chanyeol be so oblivious and stupid, only realizing it now. 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! back at it again with a new chapter~ it would have been posted sooner but there was some stuff going on in my life and my mood was at zero, meaning i just didnt want to write but just sleep all day haha. it's a little better now, since writing actually helps, so yea. hope you like the new chapter :) 
> 
> also, i always mentioned that we should vote for exo on mama but honestly fuck mama, after seeing my boiz cry i just want to slap the shit out of everyone that has something to do with mama lol. 
> 
> as always, thank you for your support and also thank you for answering my question in the comment last week. and to answer some of yours question about "are u gonna write something like that" or "is rape put in a bad light?", both yes. I will write something with dark and triggering themes, but it will be for chanbaek festival, and also DEFINITELY YES i'm putting rape as a bad thing. so yea, thank you very much for your answers :)

 

"Uhm.. w-we should go," Baekhyun mumbles almost inaudibly, turning away from Chanyeol, his fingers clumsy as he wraps his scarf around his neck - or more like around his face, desperately trying to cover it so Chanyeol won't see the vibrant blush. "My lunch break is ending, so we should hurry."

And just then, Chanyeol realizes that he's been staring at Baekhyun the whole time, making the man even more uncomfortable. Quickly, he averts his gaze as well, gulping down the lump in his throat. "Yeah, let's go. Perfect idea," Chanyeol replies maybe a little too quickly, and he doesn't even waiting for Baekhyun as he flees the restaurant, completely forgetting about his pride that is being crushed with letting Jongin pay for the lunch. He just needs some fresh air right now. It has gotten colder in these short twenty and something minutes, but Chanyeol doesn't really mind. He needs to cool down anyway.

Although he wants to just run away, cowardly disappearing as quickly as possible before Baekhyun shows up in front of the restaurant too, Chanyeol waits for the midget outside. After all, the lunch can't count as an apology because Baekhyun spent the majority of it talking to Jongin, who also paid not only for Baekhyun but for all of them, so the least Chanyeol can do is walk Baekhyun back to his workplace even if it's going to be awkward as hell.

The walk is only five minutes though, he can do that.

However, Chanyeol is not so sure about that when Baekhyun finally comes out of the restaurant, eyes glued to the pavement yet again, his whole face - that is almost entirely hidden with the scarf - still red as a tomato. His stance is even more hesitant than before, and Chanyeol knows that he feels embarrassed because of what happened, not even wanting to face the taller because of his embarrassment, his flaming face being enough of a proof. 

Without glancing at Chanyeol, Baekhyun starts walking in the direction they came from, hands deep in his pockets and eyes on the ground. When Chanyeol takes a step forward in order to follow Baekhyun, the pink-haired man speaks up in a small voice, "You don't have to walk me back." 

Now when he has Baekhyun's permission, he could easily turn and walk away, go back to his apartment and finally take the warm bath he has been dreaming about since he woke up. Baekhyun wouldn't blame him for leaving; he even told Chanyeol that it's okay himself. It's like a free pass from the surely upcoming awkward five minutes walk, and all Chanyeol has to do is take the damn pass. And yet... he can't bring himself to do it, no matter how strange it is. 

"No, it's okay," Chanyeol replies, not even recognizing his own voice as the words leave his mouth. A few days ago, he would sell his soul to get rid of Baekhyun's company as soon as possible. Chanyeol seriously can't understand what's wrong with him. 

However, what's even stranger is that when Baekhyun hears Chanyeol saying that he doesn't have a problem with walking him back to the bakery, the midget speeds up, striding with his short legs through the streets as if he wanted to escape Chanyeol. It's weird because Baekhyun was always the one who insisted on annoying the hell out of Chanyeol, and now when Chanyeol is more or less willingly spending time with him, he's trying to run away. 

Baekhyun's method of running away isn't very successful though, because Chanyeol can catch up with him just fine, having - obviously - longer legs than Baekhyun. Soon, they are side by side again, Chanyeol not backing down even after Baekhyun huffs in frustration when he sees the taller following him. Their roles are somehow switched up, Chanyeol being the one chasing Baekhyun while Baekhyun looks rather uncomfortable with it. 

For a second, Chanyeol thinks about asking Baekhyun how does it feel to be followed around against his will, but decides against it, deeming the question rather unfit for the situation they are in. Instead, he just walks by the midget's side in silence, wondering how long will it take Baekhyun to understand that he can't escape Chanyeol with this speed-walk of his, since Chanyeol is keeping up perfectly fine. 

"I told you, it's really okay," Baekhyun insists, side-glancing Chanyeol as they turn the corner, brown orbs meeting Chanyeol's briefly before he turns his head away again. "I'm in a hurry anyway, since I'm late already, so..."

"Oh, and I thought that you are trying to run away from me," Chanyeol chuckles at Baekhyun's poor excuse, amused at how bad Baekhyun is in lying. The guy is truly an open book, much different from Kyungsoo who could hide his emotions so well behind a poker face, letting his true feelings run wild only after he had warmed up to Chanyeol. Thanks to having to learn how to read Kyungsoo at first, Chanyeol has become quite good in this, thus making sense out of Baekhyun's behavior when the man is so expressive proves to be an easy task. 

"I wasn't," Baekhyun tries to deny it, but Chanyeol just looks at him with raised brows, a silent and sarcastic  _oh really?_ clear in his expression. Upon realizing that his lie was a complete fail, Baekhyun mumbles, "So what if I was?" and then he adds even more quietly, probably thinking that Chanyeol doesn't even hear him. "I'm so ashamed I could die, of course I wanna get away." 

Until now, Chanyeol didn't really take into consideration that Baekhyun could be taking this so seriously. Okay, the situation with Jongin happened and it was awkward, definitely making even Chanyeol feel embarrassed upon the big realization, but that's it. It was awkward, moving on. However, Baekhyun clearly haven't reached the  _moving on_ step yet, beating himself up for this way too much. 

"Don't be," Chanyeol tells him, voice serious but holding a gentle undertone, something both of them didn't think would ever happen. Maybe that's also the reason why Baekhyun looks up at him in surprise, his small eyes going slightly wide as he blinks a few times in disbelief. Catching Baekhyun's eyes, Chanyeol continues, "It's not your fault that the walls are thin, just as it's not your fault that your..." Chanyeol struggles for a second to find a suitable word. "... _partner_   wanted to show off, or something."

Chanyeol saying that is a big step because a few months back seemingly everything was Baekhyun's fault just because it was  _Baekhyun._ Because he was the one moving into the apartment that still belonged to Kyungsoo in Chanyeol's mind, and Baekhyun was just an intruder. 

"He's not my  _partner_ , or anything like that," when Baekhyun makes an amused noise in a form of a quiet huff, Chanyeol doesn't know why he feels this strange warmness spreading inside of his body.  _It's probably the feeling of accomplishment_ , Chanyeol thinks. After all, he made Baekhyun laugh - if that could be considered a laugh - and that's quite something, given how ready to fall apart Baekhyun looked.  

"I'm not saying you are dating him, I meant partner for-"

"Can you not, Jesus!" Baekhyun suddenly shrieks, regaining the blush that was already leaving his face yet again. Seeing how embarrassed Baekhyun gets at the slight mention of sex, Chanyeol finds himself thinking about the saying  _appearance can lie_ because, really, how is it possible that while Baekhyun looks so innocent and pure, he moans like a fucking porn star? Chanyeol just can't seem to forget about how Baekhyun had sounded that night, even though he promised himself a day later that he would forget about it. "You are just making it all worse." 

"I just want to know who is so important that you basically ignore me during the whole lunch," Chanyeol says casually, his tone light, surprisingly not bitter at all. However, it doesn't matter what kind of tone Chanyeol used, Baekhyun still starts feeling incredibly guilty, just now realizing how rude of him it was to let Jongin join them. 

"I'm sorry," apologizing, Baekhyun clenches the insides of his coat's pockets. "I'm really sorry," deciding that such a simple apology isn't enough, Baekhyun elaborates as Chanyeol's eyes widen, the taller surprised that Baekhyun has taken his words so seriously. "I was so nervous about the lunch that when Jongin came I was kind of grateful that he saved me from a whole lot of awkwardness, you know?" Chanyeol knows, he truly understands because he felt the same about the lunch. Maybe for different reasons, but it doesn't change the fact that he  _was_ nervous. "I got too comfortable with him and forgot that I should have paid more attention to you, since, well, it should have been  _our_ lunch, not mine and Jongin's. I was so scared I'd screw up somehow that I took an easy way out," after that, Baekhyun chuckles humorlessly, adding a quiet, "In the end, I screwed up anyway so..."

For a while, Chanyeol stays silent and just walks by Baekhyun's side, his eyes never leaving the man's face. Baekhyun has this sorrowful expression on yet again, and Chanyeol starts to realize that the midget is not only extremely expressive, but truly fragile underneath this rather straightforward and confident attitude of his as well. He gets hurt easily and takes even the smallest things to heart, pondering about them as if his life depended on it, his moods switching so quickly that it takes a moment for Chanyeol to catch up.

Technically, Chanyeol has the right to be frustrated with Baekhyun because the pink-haired man made him third-wheel during the lunch that was supposed to be theirs, but as he keeps on looking at Baekhyun's sad face while walking, Chanyeol somehow can't find it in himself to be angry.

"It's okay, don't worry about it," he says, hoping that Baekhyun will sense the sincerity in his voice. If Baekhyun does, he doesn't show it, doesn't even glance at Chanyeol, too busy staring at his feet. Sighing, Chanyeol decides to continue talking, thinking that maybe it could help to make the tension in the air to disappear, "I was afraid that the lunch would be awkward too, so I was kind of glad when Jongin showed up because you seemed to be really relaxed. I was bitter for a while that you were having way too much fun with him and forgot about me, but at the same time I was happy, since you were enjoying yourself. Thus, the apology-lunch has been a success."

It's so strange, saying that Chanyeol was glad that Baekhyun was enjoying himself. Why should he even care about such stuff? Why is he even trying so badly to cheer Baekhyun up? Maybe it's because Chanyeol doesn't enjoy seeing people sad, and Baekhyun most definitely looks mentally down at the moment. 

"I'm still sorry, it was rude of me tell him it's okay to join," Baekhyun apologizes once again. "You must have felt uncomfortable the whole time, especially when... you know."

"I wasn't uncomfortable-" Chanyeol starts saying, but when Baekhyun glances at him with that look in his eyes, he rolls his eyes and decides to be completely honest. "Okay, I was kind of uncomfortable, but still... You had a good time, so that's what matters, right? Besides, it's not like you are at fault for making me feel that way; it's all Jongin's fault."

"He's not usually like that," mumbling, Baekhyun adjusts his scarf. "Jongin is actually really shy."

"That's impossible. That guy and shy? Don't make me laugh," Chanyeol shakes his head, completely denying the information. Really, there is no way that Jongin is shy and that all of this was just a pretense, Jongin putting up a tough act because of Chanyeol's presence. Just... no. Jongin was flirty and straightforward, teasing either Baekhyun or Chanyeol on every possible occasion, even being daring and shameless enough to kiss the corner of Baekhyun's lips in a goodbye. There wasn't a single hint of this all being just an act, not the tiniest break in that confident persona.

"No, I mean it," Baekhyun insists, holding serious eye-contact with Chanyeol. "He  _is_  shy. I don't know why he was like that today, but ninety-nine percent of time he is the complete opposite."

Well, either Baekhyun is utterly oblivious and doesn't know the reason why Jongin acted like the remaining one percent today, or he's just playing with Chanyeol. By the look in his eyes though, Chanyeol would say that it's not the latter, since the pink-haired midget seems to be completely clueless. But how could one miss something like that entirely? Jongin was like this because he wanted to make Chanyeol feeling not only uncomfortable and awkward, but dare Chanyeol say, even make him jealous. 

As if he would ever be jealous of someone else touching or being all lovey-dovey with Baekhyun.  _That night, you were kind of jealous though,_ his mind supplies unhelpfully, and Chanyeol is quick to shoo the thought away. That was one time, and for a completely different reason - he was just too horny to think properly about his actions or thoughts. However, now when he  _can_ think properly, his body free of any sexual desires at the moment, Chanyeol is definitely not jealous of Jongin for how close he seems to be with Baekhyun. 

There is no reason to be jealous. 

But still, Chanyeol can't help but interrogate Baekhyun further, "You must know him very well when you say it with such certainty..." the taller muses, not really asking a question directly, but still  _asking_. He doesn't know why he's doing this, since it shouldn't be any of his business, but whatever. People can still be interested in things without really knowing why, right?

"I've known him for a year maybe, but he's very rarely like this," Baekhyun says, turning another corner with Chanyeol following him closely. 

"He must have had a reason then," Chanyeol tells the shorter, but Baekhyun only shrugs shoulders and whispers a  _maybe he had a bad day or something,_ to which Chanyeol replies with, "Or maybe he doesn't like me."

"Why would he, Jongin only met you toda-  _oh_ ," a sudden realization seems to hit Baekhyun, making him realize at least half of the reason why Jongin wanted to make Chanyeol uncomfortable as hell today. Immediately, Baekhyun starts defending himself frantically, "It's not what you think, not really. I've told him about you, true, but I haven't badmouthed you."

Little does Chanyeol know that all Baekhyun has told Jongin was that he is having a pathetic crush on his neighbour who had seemed to hate him to the core at the beginning, but actually started to be very nice to him which doesn't help Baekhyun's little crush at all. He truly hasn't told bad things about Chanyeol to Jongin, even defended Chanyeol's behavior on many occasions when Jongin had the same reaction as Sehun - telling Baekhyun that Chanyeol is simply an asshole. 

But Baekhyun can't tell that to Chanyeol, right? 

"I'm not trying to make you feel guilty," Chanyeol is quick to say, realizing that Baekhyun has taken it the wrong way. It's not like Chanyeol aimed to make Baekhyun feel like it was because of the things he had said that Jongin was like this today, Chanyeol just wanted him to see what could have been the reason. Now when he thinks about it though, Chanyeol doesn't think it was that good of an idea, seeing how the hint of previous slight amusement disappeared from Baekhyun's face right away. "I'm really not, Baekhyun. It wasn't meant like that." 

The midget is quiet for some time again, and Chanyeol would lie if he said that he doesn't feel bad for ruining the atmosphere. His bad phrasing might be at fault, but still, Baekhyun is just too sensitive. He wonders how the guy lived through high school years where some people really tend to be rather cruel with their words sometimes - Chanyeol knows that first-hand, being a target for bullies many times. 

Chanyeol can see the bakery building Baekhyun works at in the distance, just a few meters away from them, and he wonders if he truly wants their lunch to end like that - with both of them feeling guilty for something. The lunch was supposed to make things better between them, not worse. Should he really let Baekhyun go just like that, with even more tension between them?

In the end, it's Baekhyun who decides their fate when he hesitantly asks, "If you have time, we can quickly get some coffee from the coffee shop nearby before my break ends..?"

Chanyeol is surprised that Baekhyun found enough courage to ask that, given how shy and embarrassed he seems to be. However, he shouldn't be so shocked because it was Baekhyun who took the first step the last time too when things were quite bad between them and Chanyeol was too scared to do something to make their relationship - friendship,  _neighbour-ship? -_ better. Chanyeol can't help but think that while Baekhyun is so overly sensitive, he is definitely braver than most. 

"Yeah, of course," Chanyeol lets the corners of his lips to be tugged upwards in a small smile, and he follows Baekhyun to the coffee shop at the end of the street. He is sure that Baekhyun is smiling too because his cheeks lifted and made his eyes smaller, the pretty spark from before returning into those brown orbs. "You said you were already late though, won't you boss scold you?" Chanyeol asks in a teasing tone when they walk past the bakery.

This time, Baekhyun actually laughs, the sound of his quiet laughter reaching the taller's ears before he answers, "I'm sure he won't."

"Does he have a soft spot for you?" Chanyeol questions curiously. He wouldn't be surprised if Baekhyun said yes because Baekhyun seems like the type that everyone likes before they even have the chance to talk to the midget, thanks to Baekhyun's soft-looking face and bright, lively personality. He just looks like someone nice to talk to, someone who could be a good friend. It was only Chanyeol who was too blinded by his own bitterness to see that. 

"Oh, definitely," Baekhyun answers and laughs again, this time louder, and Chanyeol is kind of confused as to why is Baekhyun so amused by his questions. Is there some inside joke that Chanyeol doesn't know? Is there, maybe, something going on between Baekhyun's boss and Baekhyun? 

"Are you two friends, or something?"

Seeing Chanyeol's clueless expression, Baekhyun decides to pull the taller out of the pit of confusion with saying, "I mean, I have a very deep friendship with myself, that's for sure."

Chanyeol processes the words. And processes again. And again, and again, before he pathetically lets out a, "W-What?"

While Chanyeol is glad that Baekhyun is laughing so much that his eyes turn into crescents, the scarf slipping off of his face and revealing the midget's bright smile that is so familiar to the one Baekhyun had when he was laughing at Jongin's jokes back in the restaurant, he would really like some clarification because he is confused as hell. 

As soon as Baekhyun is done laughing, wrapping the scarf around his neck again but this time not covering his whole face with it, he decides to have mercy on Chanyeol and tell him straightforwardly so no more confusion would follow, "I own the bakery, Chanyeol," he says, but when Chanyeol's eyes only widen and he gets no response, he elaborates, "which means I'm the boss, obviously."  

"Y-You own it? Like in, the ownership is yours? Entirely?" he asks, and when Baekhyun nods, Chanyeol doesn't know what more to say. 

Until now, he has degraded Baekhyun because he was working in a bakery instead of going to university, having a mediocore job that is very unstable, and now Chanyeol realizes that Baekhyun, in fact, has a very stable job, and probably a rather good pay that goes with it. Unlike Chanyeol, who is still in university, not knowing if there is a job waiting for him or not. In the end, between the two of them, it's Chanyeol's future which is more uncertain. 

Again, Chanyeol realizes that he judged too quickly, and he wants to slap himself for that. He isn't like that, definitely not. Prejudice had never been in his vocabulary before he met Baekhyun. Why is he so different when it comes to Baekhyun? Truly, what's wrong with him? 

"So... you're the owner, huh," Chanyeol muses, more to himself than to Baekhyun, feeling guilty once again for thinking so badly of his neighbour, even going as far as saying that Baekhyun is stupid for not going to university because there is no way to find a good job in Seoul without it. 

"Yeah, it's family business. My parents had really wanted me to go to uni, but when grandma died, I decided to take over," Baekhyun says, voice light and calm, unlike how it was moments ago. He seems eager to talk again, letting his true self overshadow his hesitant one now when the tension is gone. "I really like it," he adds as an afterthought, nodding his head slightly too. "I was spending a lot of time in the bakery when I was young, so I have tons of memories that are connected to the shop. Honestly, I think I had always dreamed of taking over one day."

Baekhyun truly looks happy when talking about his bakery, Chanyeol notices, his eyes sparkling more than usual and voice light and gentle. It's the same tone Chanyeol had always used to talk about his dream of getting into SNU, so he is more than familiar with it, and he is able to recognize easily it. The way Baekhyun talks about the bakery sparks curiosity inside of Chanyeol, and he can't help but want to know more, Baekhyun's enthusiasm getting to him, "When did you learn how to bake?" he asks, since for Baekhyun to realize his dream, he had to know how to bake first. 

"I don't even remember, to be honest," Baekhyun chuckles. "I guess I've baked since I had the permission to enter kitchen. My grandmother was very happy that I was so eager- oh, here," Baekhyun interrupts himself, realizing that they are already outside of the coffee shop. He opens the door and walks in quickly, happy to be able to hide from the cold weather, but he still makes sure to hol the door for Chanyeol too. 

Chanyeol follows after him, walking up to the counter with Baekhyun by his side. The cashier greets them with a smile, asking what would they like to order, and Baekhyun takes off his scarf before replying, "One large Mocha, and..." Baekhyun trails off, looking over at Chanyeol who steps closer and gives his order to the cashier as well, "Large Americano."

When the cashier nods and tells her co-workers the orders, she kindly asks Baekhyun and Chanyeol to step away so other customers can order too. The both of them thank her before walking the two steps to the right, waiting for their coffee. Chanyeol doesn't miss Baekhyun's subtle, distasteful gaze when the Americano gets placed on the pult in front of them, and Chanyeol remarks can't help but remark, "At least I drink coffee, instead of coffee-flavored milk."

"Americano is too bitter," Baekhyun comments, his expression changing into one of delight when his Mocha arrives. 

"Coffee is supposed to be bitter," Chanyeol rolls his eyes because Baekhyun is just one of those people who like their coffee unnecessary sweet. "You know, bitterness kinda goes with coffee."

Just as Baekhyun is about to say something back, his phone vibrates on his pocket and the air is pierced with the sound of message notification. Chanyeol watches as Baekhyun takes the phone out of his pocket and unlocks it quickly, his small eyes focusing on something, judging by how his brows furrow as his brown orbs scan the screen of his phone. There is a short silence between them as they make their way toward the entrance of the shop again, Baekhyun typing away on his mobile. 

Only when they are outside again does Baekhyun speak up, showing the phone to Chanyeol and urging him to read the message sent to the midget. Chanyeol looks at him questioningly, but Baekhyun just tells him to read it, and so Chanyeol does, murmuring the words under his breath as his eyes scan the words, "I'm sorry for my behavior today, I didn't want to ruin your lunch with your neighbour. I hope you're not angry."

When Chanyeol is done reading, he looks at Baekhyun with raised eyebrows, and if Chanyeol had some questions regarding the text message, Baekhyun is quick to answer them, "Jongin is truly sorry, I thought you should know. Since, well, it's about you."

"He isn't sorry that he was a jerk to me, he is just sorry because he embarrassed you," Chanyeol points out, and Baekhyun purses his lips slightly in a way that people would consider cute - but not Chanyeol, of course. 

Baekhyun puts his phone in the pocket and wraps the scarf around his neck once again, holding his coffee with both hands to warm them up. "An apology nonetheless," Baekhyun says, a little bashful. "Besides, Jongin has been kind of down lately, maybe that's why his mood changed today."

"So that's why you wanted to improve his mood that night?" it falls out of his mouth before he can think about his words better, Chanyeol blurting out the first thing that came to his mind. However, he regrets it right after when he sees how Baekhyun tenses, the coffee he was ready to take a sip of stopping an inch away from his lips. Suddenly, the light atmosphere crumbles like a house of cards thanks to just one sentence, and Chanyeol is ready to apologize for his comment, but Baekhyun doesn't let him, interrupting him the moment Chanyeol opens his mouth to speak. 

"Actually yes," Baekhyun's reply is sharp, and when he looks at Chanyeol, his eyes are full of fire as if he was ready to fight. Chanyeol is left confused because while Baekhyun is sensitive and easy to read, his reactions are different every single time even though the situation might be the same. The last time sex was mentioned, Baekhyun became flustered, and now he is frustrated instead. "But also - because as you could have noticed - Jongin is very good looking. I wanted, he wanted it, there was no problem."

Chanyeol doesn't say anything in reply, but there is this strange uncomfortable feeling in his gut when Baekhyun admits that Jongin is good looking. Not like Chanyeol doesn't know. Still, it makes him feel weird things when he actually hears it coming out of Baekhyun's mouth. 

"Okay, I'm glad... or whatever, I guess," Chanyeol says, nodding. His voice has this tone that kids use on their younger siblings when they try telling them not to cry so their mom won't come and check up on them, finding out that the older of them has hurt the younger one in some way. It seems stupid, but Chanyeol truly doesn't want to anger Baekhyun - the last he made Baekhyun angry, he ended up being thrown on the elevator wall. Besides, most of the things that come out of Chanyeol's mouth aren't supposed to be mocking, he just has this habit of blurting out the first thing that comes to his mind before thinking about it much.  

Seeing that Chanyeol wasn't trying to pick up a fight, Baekhyun sighs deeply after frowning at his neighbour and resumes his walk, letting Chanyeol's remark go, for which the taller is incredibly glad. While stealing glances at Baekhyun as they make their wake back to the bakery, Chanyeol thinks about how interesting Baekhyun's personality actually is. His reactions are definitely something new, and Chanyeol finds himself being not only amazed by how quickly the midget's moods change, but also interested in how Baekhyun's mind works. 

He wants to get to know him better, which is something Chanyeol would have never thought about. Life is full of surprise, he guesses. 

"Listen, I'm gonna explain it once and for all, so you can let it go from your head," Baekhyun starts again, and even though Chanyeol wants to tell him that he certainly hasn't been thinking about it at all - because he  _wasn't_ \- Chanyeol lets him speak in the end. And no, not because he is interested and curious. "Jongin and me are just friends, that's where it ends. That night, he was sad because the guy he likes rejected him even though there have been some hints that he  _likes_ Jongin. I don't know his name but Jongin calls him 'Soo'. So yes, he was sad, and I was sexually frustrated; it escalated from there. We are not partners, romantically or sexually. Is that enough of an explanation?" 

"Definitely," Chanyeol nods, and now it's him who is blushing because hearing Baekhyun saying that he was sexually frustrated reminds him very well of how Chanyeol himself was quite sexually frustrated and horny that night. However, he isn't the only one having his face and ears all red - Baekhyun is blushing also, clearly embarrassed by his direct explanation. Again, Chanyeol is left confused as to how Baekhyun's mind and emotions truly work. 

The thing is, after Baekhyun explaines things, the tension between them somehow starts to disappeare, and Chanyeol is surprised that it was so easy. All they had to do was talking about it, Chanyeol admitting that he wants to know what Jongin is to Baekhyun as if it was any of his business, and Baekhyun explaining to Chanyeol that that night was just a one time thing with Jongin because of the sexual frustration. The atmosphere between them is light as if a moment ago the tension in the air wasn't thick enough to be cut, and the last bits of the said-tension disappear for good when both of them chuckle at at each other afterwards. 

When they are in front of the bakery shop, Chanyeol is the first one to speak, surprising even himself with his question, "Since that lunch was a rather shitty apology-lunch, shouldn't we have another?" 

It's strange to admit, but Chanyeol truly wants to figure out how Baekhyun works. After letting go of the stupid grudge he was holding against Baekhyun because the guy had moved in Kyungsoo's apartment, Chanyeol actually realized that Baekhyun isn't  _that_ bad. He has his downsides, like every other person, but he is quite alright, definitely far from being the person Chanyeol had had in mind. 

Also, Chanyeol has a pride to get back after Jongin paid for their lunch. 

"If you want to..?" Baekhyun's answer is more like a question, full of insecurity. Chanyeol pays attention to have Baekhyun averts his gaze, looking down on the ground again. "But if it's out of pity, then-"

"It's not," Chanyeol assures him, and when Baekhyun looks up from the pavement again, there is a smile adoring his face and his eyes have the familiar spark. It's quite nice, not making Baekhyun feel sad or even making him cry for once. 

"Then.. okay," Baekhyun nods, cheeks colored pink. Chanyeol guesses it's from the cold. "But I really have to go now. Being the owner doesn't mean I won't get scolded by Sehun if I'm taking forever to come back.. So, yeah... Bye."

Exchanging goodbyes is slightly awkward, but Chanyeol can work with that. 

As Baekhyun disappears inside the bakery, Chanyeol watches his pink-haired neighbour going behind the counter, taking off his jacket in the process after he puts his coffee on the pult. Again, he can't help but think that Baekhyun's personality, cute face and pink hair suit the interior of the shop completely, as if Baekhyun belonged there. Which he kind of does, given that he is the owner - by the way, Chanyeol still feels incredibly stupid for downgrading Baekhyun when he thought that the guy just works here instead of owning the business. 

When Baekhyun is free of his winter jacket and scarf, an apron tied behind his neck and back, just then Chanyeol decides to leave. However, before leaving, Chanyeol catches eyes of one of Baekhyun's coworkers - or rather said, employees. The tall guy with black hair is looking directly at him, frowning deeply when they make eye-contact. Chanyeol frowns slightly in confusion too, but lets it go without a second thought, turning on his heel and making his way home. 

There are still some things left unsaid, for example the fact that Chanyeol reached orgasm thanks to Baekhyun's sinful voice that night, and also that Baekhyun thought of Chanyeol doing all of those dirty things to him instead of Jongin. For now though, what was said today is enough, and Chanyeol is glad that they parted ways on good terms, their awkward goodbye holding a promise of potentially good friendship. 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys, so again, i'm updating pretty late but im kinda sick as fucc lol and i spent the whole day sleeping, and just now i was writing the last bits of the chapter. so yea.  
> anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter as much as i did writing it, since things get a little interesting (finally ryt lol)  
> as always, thank you for all your support, i will forever say how grateful i am to every piece of attention this fanfic gets :)
> 
> see you in ten days loves!

"Baekhyun, we kinda don't have any walnuts anymore," is what welcomes the pink-haired man when he walks into the bakery after his lunch break, and his eyes go wide immediately upon hearing the information. 

"What?" he asks, quickly walking over to the counter where Tao is playing games on his phone, having time now when the lunch rush is over. Baekhyun doesn't comment on it, already used to Tao using his phone every time there is time for it. Besides, he knows that Tao is doing his job perfectly, so there's no reason to nag him about using his mobile when there is nothing to do at the moment. 

"There are none left, is what I'm saying," Tao puts his phone down, not wanting to come off as disrespectful towards his boss, no matter how good of a friendship they have. "We checked at least three times everywhere to make sure, but we've ran out of walnuts completely it seems."

"Have you really checked everywhere?"

"Yes."

"What about our supplier?"

"Called him, but they can be there tomorrow at the earliest," Tao says unhelpfully. 

Groaning, Baekhyun looks behind Tao, his eyes searching for Sehun. When he finds him, he questions, "Are you sure that Sehun hasn't eaten them?"

"Not this time, no," shaking his head, Tao chuckles. They both know why Baekhyun asked this question, familiar with how Sehun likes to eat everything he gets his hands on. When he had started working in Baekhyun's bakery, Sehun had at least tried to be discreet about it, but then after some time he probably thought  _fuck it_ and just started eating stuff right on front of Baekhyun without shame. 

"I've heard that, and this false accusation makes me sad," Sehun's voice is distantly heard from the back, and Tao and Baekhyun both ignored it completely, focusing more on the problem on hand than at Sehun's whining. 

"We have an order for two walnut tarts for today evening, shit," Baekhyun sighs, running a hand through his hair in frustration. The tarts were supposed to be delivered to the customers around seven in the evening, so there is no way Baekhyun can wait til tomorrow for the supplier. Thus, he makes a decision, "I'll go buy some."

"I can go, it's not a problem," Tao offers, already reaching for his coat, but Baekhyun stops him.

"It's okay, I need to buy other things anyway, so..." trailing off, Baekhyun assures Tao that it's fine at least two more times before he makes his way out of the shop, his scarf around his neck like always. It's not that cold anymore, but Baekhyun still likes to keep his neck and face warm, hating cold from the bottom of his heart since he was young. When other kids were excited for winter season because of the snow when he was a kid, Baekhyun just bitterly sat by them, listening to them gushing about how amazing winter is while he just cursed the season silently. 

If it was still cold as fuck like the past days, Baekhyun would gladly let Tao go to the shop instead of him, but since the weather is fairly good today, Baekhyun doesn't have that much of a problem with doing the shopping himself. As he mentioned, he also needs to buy some things for his empty fridge at home, and this is a perfect opportunity - even though it isn't like Baekhyun truly  _needs_ to go shopping in that sense of word, since he is quite okay with eating cereals and fast-food for at least a day more. However, Sehun would probably kill him if he found out that Baekhyun has refused to go to shop and has practically ignored the younger's advice to finally start eating normal food. 

He expected his shopping to be uneventful because, well, what can really happen during shopping, right? But Baekhyun is surprised when he meets Chanyeol on the way to the nearby grocery shop, the tall man being the one to approach him, shockingly enough. 

"Hello," he says with a small smile, casually walking up to Baekhyun who almost gets a heart attack. The greeting wasn't loud or anything, but Baekhyun truly didn't expect anyone to just join him in his walk to the shop, especially not a giant in sweatpants and over-sized winter jacket, towering over him and reminding Baekhyun of just how short he is, as if Sehun and Tao's presence in work today wasn't enough. Seeing how startled Baekhyun is, Chanyeol is quick to apologize, "Sorry if I scared you, I thought you saw me."

"I didn't," Baekhyun says as he collects himself. Chanyeol is as handsome as ever, and seeing the giant's smile that is directed at Baekhyun makes the shorter's heart beats a tad bit faster. "A-Anyway, hi."

It's another surprise itself that Chanyeol initiated some kind of contact with him, even going as far as smiling at Baekhyun with that attractive yet extremely cute grin or whatever it is without knowing what it does to Baekhyun's poor heart. Chanyeol had never smiled like that at him before yesterday, and the pink-haired man has to say that it will take a while to get used to Chanyeol not frowning at him all the time. That is, if Chanyeol will continue to be this nice to him.

Also, yes, Baekhyun knows that he should be getting over his crush for Chanyeol because it's clearly just that; a hopeless crush that will never work out. Still, Baekhyun somehow can't give up on it just yet, no matter how much he wants to. After all, you can't tell your feelings to get lost - or more specifically, you can do it, but there is no way those feelings would disappear just like that. And Baekhyun's feelings are still there, messing up his entire being every time Chanyeol as much as looks at him, all handsome and tall, with beautiful almond eyes. 

"Where are you headed?" oh, and then there's Chanyeol's amazing, deep voice too. A voice that's finally not barking at him, telling him to get lost, but instead sounds so gentle an nice. 

So really, how is Baekhyun supposed to forget about his crush that easily when Chanyeol is so perfect? And now also so nice to him? It's impossible. 

"Grocery shopping," Baekhyun answers, resuming his walk now with Chanyeol by his side. He wonders if his nose is that sensitive or if Chanyeol just naturally smells too good to be true. "I need some food, and we've also ran out of walnuts in the bakery."

"Oh," Chanyeol hums. "But don't you have some kind of.. supplier or someone like that? Or do you always go shopping for stuff?"

"We have, but I need them today and the supplier would come tomorrow, which is late," Baekhyun explains, his tone just the tiniest bit bitter. After all, he can't be angry at his supplier for not bringing him what he wants, since it's such a short notice. He should be glad that they are gonna come tomorrow and not next week, like they usually does. Lucky that Baekhyun's grandmother had been dealing with them since opening her shop, at least Baekhyun has privileges. 

"Do you need them so badly?" Chanyeol questions, and Baekhyun momentarily wonders if Chanyeol is asking because he doesn't want this to be awkward and silent, or if he actually wants to talk to Baekhyun. Deciding not to ruin the moment, Baekhyun pushes the negative thought to the back of his mind, ignoring it completely. 

"Yeah," Baekhyun says. "I have to bake two walnut tarts due seven this evening, and I can't bake it without the ingredients, so..."

"Then good luck with that," Chanyeol wishes him, opening the shop's door for Baekhyun when they are there already, which surprises the shorter a little. It isn't like Baekhyun thought that Chanyeol is not polite or not enough of a gentleman, but Chanyeol opening the door for  _Baekhyun_? That's something else. Plus, Baekhyun feels completely swept off his feet when he looks up and sees Chanyeol giving him that small, gentle smile. 

Truly, Baekhyun isn't getting over his crush anytime soon if Chanyeol continues being so nice. Or so handsome. 

They walk into the shop and greet the two familiar girls standing behind the cash register politely. Immediately, the girls freeze and their giggles die down, the two of them looking at Chanyeol and Baekhyun with wide eyes and semi-open mouth, making the two neighbours feel more than strange. There is nobody else in the shop so it's just the four of them staring at one another and exchanging some weird glances, the girls looking completely shocked while Chanyeol and Baekhyun don't know why are they staring at them so strangely. 

"Okay..." Chanyeol trails off, being the first one to break the awkward silence. "Let's just... do some shopping." 

With that said, he takes a hold of Baekhyun's wrist and tugs him toward the isle, making Baekhyun's skin feel on fire as he does so. He lets go of Baekhyun just two seconds later, but that's enough for Baekhyun to start blushing slightly because of how tender the touch was. Baekhyun  _is_ sensitive, it's a fact, but this fleeting touch has such a meaning for him mainly because the last time Chanyeol touched him in any kind of way was that night on Valentine's Day when he jabbed his finger into Baekhyun's chest painfully, telling the pink-haired man that he wants him gone. So yes, while Baekhyun's sensitiveness plays a role, it's still the change in Chanyeol's behavior that makes his knees go weak. 

It's a minute later when Baekhyun realizes why the two employees seemed so shocked to see them, and the realization only makes his heart beat more intensely - it was because Baekhyun and Chanyeol actually entered the shop  _together,_ with Chanyeol even opening the door for Baekhyun, which is quite a big thing.

The two girls were there almost every single time Chanyeol and Baekhyun gravely avoided each other while grocery shopping, Baekhyun pathetically hiding behind isles while Chanyeol looked like the grumpiest person on Earth. The atmosphere of the shop always changed when the two of the two neighbours were there, the tension that was clear in the air making the two girls feel uncomfortable as well. So of course they would be shocked to see Chanyeol and Baekhyun walking in together, the taller smiling at flustered Baekhyun and holding the door open for him. It must have been quite a scene, and suddenly Baekhyun not only doesn't blame the girls for staring at them so strangely, but also feels the blush coloring his cheeks. 

They are shopping together with Chanyeol. 

"By the way," Chanyeol's deep voice brings him back to reality, and Baekhyun blinks his thoughts away as he hums, a sign that he's listening. He doesn't dare to look at Chanyeol, surely not until he is sure that his face isn't having the pink-ish shade to it. "The cake you brought me on Valentine's Day," Chanyeol starts, and Baekhyun feels a painful pang in his chest for a second at the mention of that day. While Baekhyun knows that Chanyeol was frustrated because of something and only took his anger out on Baekhyun, even saying that he didn't mean the words that had been said afterwards, the pink-haired man can't somehow stop doubting his neighbour meant everything, in a way. It hurts thinking about Chanyeol truly wanting him gone for good. 

Still, Baekhyun tries to come off as unaffected, urging Chanyeol to continue with a, "Yeah...?"

"Well, I wanted to thank you," with these words, the painful sting in Baekhyun's chest is gone, replaced by butterflies in his stomach instead. Really, a little is enough to please him and make him happy, just as a little is enough to make him fall into a pit of depression. Luckily for Baekhyun, Chanyeol is not hurting him now, which he seemed to enjoy doing a while back. "The cake was the best thing I'd had in my entire life, honestly. It truly... made me feel better." 

"O-Oh... is that so?" Baekhyun stutters, his cheeks now even more pink. He hates this habit of blushing so much, hated it since he was a kid, but there is nothing to do about it other than trying to hide it. Especially now when Chanyeol looks at him curiously when he hears Baekhyun stuttering. Baekhyun just turns his back on Chanyeol, pretending to look over the products in the aisle. Unfortunately for him, it's all stuff for women - more specifically, period stuff. 

Why is Baekhyun always so unlucky, finding himself in embarrassing situations more often than not? 

Gulping down, Baekhyun starts walking out of the isle, making his way to where the walnuts should be. However, his escape isn't successful, because Chanyeol follows him without a second thought, not letting Baekhyun get away. He probably hasn't noticed the blush coloring Baekhyun's face yet, and he casually stands beside Baekhyun while looking over the products offered while Baekhyun is choosing the walnuts of the right brand - he certainly won't betray his favorite brand, right?

"But really, the cake was perfect," Chanyeol continues. "Where did you buy it? I have to visit that shop sometimes soon." 

"I didn't really buy it..." Baekhyun trails off, scratching the back of his neck, hoping Chanyeol would let the topic go. 

But of course the giant doesn't, asking another question, "Oh? How do you mean that?"

"Well," clearing his throat, Baekhyun quietly says, "I baked it." 

"What?" 

"I baked it," Baekhyun repeats a little louder, sighing. He doesn't know why he was so afraid to say that he was the one who made the cake even after Chanyeol clearly stated that he liked it, but Baekhyun somehow didn't want Chanyeol to find out. Maybe it was because giving a self-baked cake to Chanyeol on Valentine's Day would be too obvious, or maybe because Baekhyun was still the tiniest afraid that Chanyeol didn't mean his compliments. Either way, now it's out, and Baekhyun can't do much about it anymore. 

"Really? But you said that it was the best cake you had ever eaten..?" the confusion is clear in Chanyeol's voice, but it doesn't stay there for long. Instead, Chanyeol decides to tease Baekhyun, looking like he enjoys seeing the shorter blushing way too much. "Were you complimenting yourself without me knowing?"

"No, it isn't like that," Baekhyun shakes his head. His self-confidence isn't that high. Well, it can be, if he pretends to be over-confident to cover up his insecurities, but that kind of advanced pretending was out of the question when Baekhyun was talking to his crush that night. "I just-.. um, didn't want you to know, I guess."

"Why, though?" Chanyeol pries further, eyebrows knitting in confusion once again. Baekhyun swears that Chanyeol can be really talkative if he wants to, and he wonders if it's a good thing or not. Although in this situation he would go for the latter. 

"It was Valentine's Day..? For example?" Baekhyun decides to give him the reason that doesn't involves his paranoia. "You know, and me giving you a cake that I had baked would be kinda... well, it could give you a wrong idea."

Actually, it could have given Chanyeol the most clear idea about Baekhyun's feelings, but Baekhyun is sure as hell not confessing his embarrassing crush. Besides, he doesn't have the slightest chance of Chanyeol ever liking him back in that way, so it's better to just hide it until it goes away, whenever that will be. They are finally talking normally, acting like  _friends_ ; Baekhyun doesn't want to ruin the little they have.

"Right," is all Chanyeol says, and Baekhyun would swear that Chanyeol's voice sounds quite... strange. Baekhyun doesn't dare use specific words to describe how Chanyeol sounded, purely because he doesn't want to make assumptions while the truth can lie elsewhere. 

"So, yeah," Baekhyun says to fill out the silence that has come, moving to another aisle for doing his own grocery shopping now when he has the walnuts for the tarts. Chanyeol follows right after him like a puppy, his longs legs making catching up the easiest task. 

"Still," Baekhyun hears Chanyeol say as they are standing in front of tons brands of cereals, both wondering which one to take home. In the end, Baekhyun goes for the Lion cereals while Chanyeol goes for some random chocolate stuff. "I stand by my words - it was the best cake I had ever eaten," he praises Baekhyun, giving him that sweet, loop-sided smile. "You are definitely good at what you do." 

That's all it takes for Baekhyun to blush furiously again. Lucky for him, Chanyeol wasn't looking at him while his face colored into a deep shade of pink, even bordering with red. 

 

Little did Baekhyun know that Chanyeol was stealing glances at the pink-haired midget's blushing face every time there was a chance, Baekhyun doing a poor job at hiding how flustered he was after getting a compliment from his tall neighbour. 

The only reason Chanyeol enjoyed looking at Baekhyun was that it was amusing, not because he thought that Baekhyun was adorable when blushing, of course. Definitely not. 

Although, maybe Baekhyun  _was_  a little cute when he shyly looked away in order to keep his blush out of Chanyeol's sight, but that's it. Just the smallest bit cute. Chanyeol is just being objective, nothing else.

 

 

\--

 

 

After today's accidental bump-in with his pink-haired neighbour on the way to the grocery shop, Chanyeol thought that the next time he meets Baekhyun would be tomorrow, since they always see each other on Friday mornings, both leaving at the same time. However, he meets Baekhyun sooner than expected and also in a... rather strange situation. 

"Come again?" Chanyeol asks of Baekhyun, forcing himself to keep his eyes on Baekhyun's face instead of his half-naked body even though the midget's sharp collarbones are practically begging to be looked at. And no, it's not because Chanyeol thinks that Baekhyun's extremely sharp collarbones are attractive, that's out of question. It's just that the combination of that long neck of Baekhyun's and those collarbones is rather attention-catching.

Even more so when Baekhyun is standing in front of Chanyeol's apartment at something past eleven in the evening because, "I said, can I use your shower? Mine doesn't work." Yeah, because his shower doesn't work. Chanyeol kind of over-heard Baekhyun the first time due to the fact that he was completely shocked to see the the midget standing on his doorstep with only a towel wrapped around his body, a shampoo, a shower gel, and spare clothes. Mind to add, that towel isn't all that long, going only to his mid-thigh. 

"What exactly is wrong with it?" Chanyeol questions, his voice sounding unusual and strained even to his own ears. He's gripping the door handle way too tightly to be normal too, and his hands are sweating slightly. He truly didn't expect Baekhyun to come ask for  _his shower_  of all things, and definitely not with only a towel around his body. By the blush coloring Baekhyun's face, ears and his neck also, Chanyeol guesses that Baekhyun didn't expect this turn of events as well. 

"The hot water doesn't work, at all. I even called the householder, asking if there is something I can do about it, but she only said that she can send someone tomorrow, and certainly not today," Baekhyun explains quickly, shuffling his feet in nervousness. "So... can I use your shower? I'll be really quick," he repeats his request one more time, looking at Chanyeol hopefully from under his lashes. When Chanyeol doesn't say anything for at least ten seconds, only staring at his short neighbour with slightly widened eyes, Baekhyun is quick to start ramble in order to get a yes from Chanyeol, "It won't happen again, I promise, it's just that I'm really tired, and I want to go to sleep already, but I can't go to sleep without a shower. It's been quite a bad day at work, and-"

"Just come in," Chanyeol interrupts him with a chuckle, seeing that Baekhyun, for one; truly needs a shower, and also; looks very tired. There is no point in letting Baekhyun torture himself with the endless rambling when Chanyeol would say yes in the end anyway, right? And so, Chanyeol opens the door for the pink-haired man further, letting him in with a small, sympathetic smile. After all, if their roles were switched and Chanyeol was the one needing to shower at Baekhyun's, Baekhyun would most like agree to it too. 

"Thank you. So much," Baekhyun thanks Chanyeol and grins at him in gratitude as he steps into the apartment, curious eyes scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. For a few short seconds, Chanyeol just stands there, forozen because of the shock; Baekhyun has never grinned at him this way. It was always shy smiles here and there, but never a grin so bright that it almost made Chanyeol go blind. 

Shaking this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach off, Chanyeol finally closes the door and clears his throat as he points to the room to his right, saying, "The bathroom is right here. Just call me if you need anything."

"Okay," Baekhyun replies, already making his way to the bathroom slowly.

It feels strange to Chanyeol, having someone other than Jongdae walking around his flat. After Kyungsoo moved away to Busan, nobody other than his one friend - and his family of course - has been here, and defninitely not only in a towel around their body. Baekhyun must be the first one.

"I'll be quick," Baekhyun assures Chanyeol before he disappears behind the bathoom door, giving the taller one last small, soft smile that is much more familiar than the wide grin Chanyeol saw before. 

Thinking about how strange this whole situation is, Chanyeol starts walking in the direction of his kitchen, feeling in the mood for coffee. However, the moment he takes a step forward, he realizes that he had forgotten to say a pretty important thing to the midget before he let Baekhyun into the bathroom, that important thing being that Chanyeol has the colors for hot and cold water switched - having blue for hot water and red for cold. 

Wanting to avoid a situation where Baekhyun turns on the cold water because of not knowing that Chanyeol has it switched, Chanyeol quickly turns on his heels and makes his way to the bathroom, not thinking twice as he opens the door - which was definitely a mistake.

His words die in his throat the moment he opens the bathroom door, his eyes falling on a completely naked Baekhyun, the pink-haired man's back facing Chanyeol in all its bare glory. Chanyeol knows that he should turn away, he  _knows,_ but he simply can't, his whole body frozen as he stares at Baekhyun who seems to be utterly unaware of Chanyeol's presence, walking towards the shower corner after discarding his towel without turning around even once.

Baekhyun's body is truly a masterpiece, if Chanyeol is to be honest, and he won't even try to pretend that he isn't attracted to the guy just because it's Baekhyun. After all, that slim figure with incredible hips alone would be enough to have everyone losing their minds - Chanyeol not being an exception - so adding the broad shoulders, long neck, perfect thighs and thin waist to the picture could easily make people fall to their knees and ask God how is it possible that someone with a body so beautiful was born. Plus, Baekhyun's bottom deserves extra attention, for how is it just firm enough for Chanyeol's personal liking.

Baekhyun's body is completely different from Kyungsoo's, but Chanyeol can't help but feel turned on just the same, putting his Kyungsoo-like ideals aside for now in order to enjoy the eye-candy in front of him. 

Baekhyun is truly fucking stunning.

And it's making Chanyeol's heartbeat quicken as his mind throws at him the memories of Baekhyun moaning in pleasure on the other side of the thin wall days ago, his dick twitching in his boxers as those sinful sounds are being replied over and over in his head while his eyes are taking in the sight of naked Baekhyun in front of him.

"Oh my god!" this loud yell is what finally pulls Chanyeol out of his little world, and it takes him a second to realize that the one screaming is Baekhyun - Baekhyun, who is completely terrified to find out that Chanyeol saw him naked.

Chanyeol watches as the midget immediately jumps into the shower, covering his intimate parts, eyes wide and face quickly taking on a very vibrant blush. His attempt at hiding himself goes terribly wrong though, since the walls of Chanyeol's shower are very much see-through.

On the other hand, Baekhyun shouldn't even have a reason to hide. It's because of Chanyeol's unwelcomed presence that he has to, and Chanyeol doesn't realize it quick enough.

When he does though, his eyes go incredibly wide, blush coloring his own cheeks as well as his ears, and he backs out from the bathroom in the speed of light, shutting the door loudly before leaning his back against them. 

"I'm so sorry!" Chanyeol screams, expression full of horror as he processes what he's done. "I didn't mean to watch you- uh, I- I swear I'm not some weirdo, I just wanted to tell you that the red color on the tap is for the cold water and vice versa, that's all!" frantically, Chanyeol starts explaining himself, hoping that Baekhyun won't think of him strangely. Not that his pink-haired neighbour would be in wrong to do so, since Chanyeol has not only enjoyed the show of naked Baekhyun a second ago, but he had also jerked off to the sound of Baekhyun moaning; the midget is unaware of the first one, luckily. 

Gulping, Chanyeol tries to save the situation to some extent with lying, "I barely saw you, really!" then, realizing it isn't an excuse and probably won't Baekhyun feel any better, he adds, "I'm truly sorry, I shouldn't have entered withou knocking."

"I-It's fine," comes almost inaudibly from the other side, but Chanyeol doesn't feel less guilty at all. 

"Just take the shower, I'm going- to the kitchen... yeah. You can even lock yourself if it makes you feel better, and-.. I'm very sorry," Chanyeol apologizes again, the guilt eating him up from inside. Given how bashful and shy Baekhyun is, this must have caused some big-time embarrassment to him - Chanyeol is sure of it, because he is by far not as sensitive as Baekhyun, but he himself feels incredibly embarrassed because of this situation.

Everything is quiet for some time, but after a few seconds Chanyeol can hear the water being turned on, and he lets out a sigh of relief. He halfly expected Baekhyun to take his things and run away from Chanyeol's apartment, telling him to never come near him again, but in the end Baekhyun just starts showering, without even locking the door as Chanyeol offered. And as Chanyeol promised, he walks away from the bathroom and makes his way to the kitchen, which is on the opposite side of Chanyeol's not-too-big flat.

When Chanyeol is there, he leans against the counter and covers his face with his hands, cursing himself. What the fuck is wrong with him? How could he walk into the bathroom when he knew someone was in there, even shamelessly looking at the nude body of that certain someone while the person was completely unaware of it? And is if all that wasn't enough, there's the fact that this  _someone_ was Baekhyun, of all people.

He got turned on by Byun fucking Baekhyun, for Christ's sake, and not just slightly. 

This is horrible.

 

 

After ten minutes that Chanyeol successfully spends with throwing insults at himself and denying the fact that Baekhyun got him turned on, the door to the bathroom starts opening slowly. Upon hearing the sound of door opening, Chanyeol's head snaps up right away, his gaze focused on the short person that hesitantly peeks his head through the gap. Their eyes meet just a moment later, and surprisingly, it's Chanyeol who looks away first - even though it's just by a millisecond, Baekhyun following immediately.

For reasons, Chanyeol is unable to keep eye-contact with his neighbour. Firstly; he is utterly and completely embarrassed of himself, and secondly; he isn't that sure that his eyes wouldn't go lower than is Baekhyun's face, since the man is wearing this over-sized shirt again that just looks... very good on him. 

Chanyeol doesn't even know why he is having such thoughts about Baekhyun. Is it possible that he is sexually frustrated and, well, Baekhyun's looks aren't helping? But how can he be so attracted to Baekhyun when, as mentioned before, the guy is a complete opposite of his ex-boyfriend? It would make sense if Chanyeol was losing his mind over someone who is even remotely similar to Kyungsoo - since Chanyeol is still not exactly over him - but Baekhyun is nothing like his ex.

 _So where is this strong desire for Baekhyun coming from?_ a question flashes through his mind, and Chanyeol almost chokes on his spit, the words  _desire_  and  _Baekhyun_  not a combination he would expect to be created inside of his head. Yes, Baekhyun is attractive. Yes, Baekhyun is one of the cutest people ever or whatever. But... he shouldn't be Chanyeol's type. Not by far. 

"I'll get going then," Chanyeol hears Baekhyun saying in a quiet voice, and it immediately snaps him out of his thoughts. He turns his head back to the shorter man again, but their eyes don't meet this time, Baekhyun looking down on the ground as he makes his way toward the front door of Chanyeol's apartment. Chanyeol feels the need to stop Baekhyun and apologize once again, but something is holding him back even though Baekhyun looks like he is expecting something, not an apology perhaps, but just  _something_ , which is clear by how he stops at the door, holding the door handle way too long without pushing it down to open the door. 

But Chanyeol is a coward, afraid to face Baekhyun more than anything now, and so he flees the living room, attempting to hide in the bathroom. However, there are two things he forgets to think about as he escapes.

The first one is that the whole bathroom smells like his next-door neighbour, the midget's sweet shower gel in the air, and the way Chanyeol's stomach curls with strange but definitely not uncomfortable feeling because of Baekhyun's scent kind of beats the purpose of running away from Baekhyun.

And the second one is that the floor is wet as fuck, which makes Chanyeol slip the moment he walks into the bathroom.

"Jesus fuck!" he screams as he starts falling, his lanky legs going into two different directions. Fortunately, Chanyeol is quick enough to get a hold of the sink, keeping himself up and away from face-planting onto the floor. The toothpaste, the plastic glass in which his toothbrush lies and a few face products aren't as lucky as Chanyeol though, and they fall to the ground after Chanyeol accidentally bumps into them with his hands while trying to steady himself.

"Chanyeol?" Baekhyun's concerned voice reaches Chanyeol's ears. And then, a more clear, "Are you alright?" follows as Baekhyun gets closer, practically running to Chanyeol after hearing some noise. But he doesn't seem to be slowing down in front of the bathroom, continuing to run, expression worried, and Chanyeol starts to panic because if Baekhyun doesn't slow down, then-

"Baekhyun, wait!"

Baekhyun slips as well, the very moment he steps into the bathroom, and this time Chanyeol isn't able to avoid the fall. He tries to stay on his legs as well as he tries to hold Baekhyun up with him too, but it doesn't work, and soon they are both falling to the floor, Chanyeol on his back and Baekhyun on top of him with a loud yelp. The water on the ground wets Chanyeol's shirt, making him feel quite uncomfortable as if the pain in his back that was caused by the fall wasn't enough. 

Chanyeol groans, opening his eyes when he feels water dripping on his cheeks and forehead, and the first thing he sees is Baekhyun's face dangerously close to his own, maybe just an inch or two away. He gets a close up on Baekhyun's eyes, pretty little nose and pink lips, and his heart does a double flip, especially when he notices one mole on Baekhyun's right cheek, and another one above the right corner of his lips. Baekhyun's skin looks so damn soft as Chanyeol scans it with his eyes, and he immediately gets this strong urge to touch it, to feel the softness for himself. 

Just then, when Chanyeol tries to move his hand, he realizes that it is resting on Baekhyun's lower back, very close to the curve of the pink-haired man's ass. Upon this realization, a lump creates in Chanyeol's throat and his mouth parts the slightest bit as he feels Baekhyun's warm breath ghosting over his lips, his arm unconsciously circling the shorter's waist. Their eyes meet the very next second, and they just stare into each other's eyes for a few moments, not moving at all as if they were frozen on the floor. 

 _So pretty,_ Chanyeol thinks while looking into Baekhyun's small brown orbs, admiring the cute, droopy shape of them, and he doesn't even know how but his grip on Baekhyun gets tighter, pulling the pink-haired midget even closer to his chest. He keeps staring at Baekhyun, not even minding the drops of water that fall on his face from Baekhyun's wet hair, and when a soft, quiet whimper escapes from the shorter's mouth, Chanyeol doesn't even try to deny that he is indeed attracted to the man, his desire stronger than he originally thought. 

Chanyeol's eyes flicker to Baekhyun's lips, thinking  _damn, they look so fucking kissable_ , and he can't help but inch closer, his nose touching Baekhyun's as he does so. Baekhyun doesn't pull away, instead he stays exactly where he is, warming Chanyeol's mouth with his hot breath. As Chanyeol looks up into Baekhyun's eyes once more to get permission to connect their lips in a kiss, Baekhyun's answer is clear, the want in his orbs mirroring Chanyeol's.   _A yes, then,_ Chanyeol thinks.

Their lips are merely a millimeter apart, already touching slightly, but then the moment is completely broken when a loud knock from the front door is heard, followed quickly by Jongdae's loud, "Chanyeol, I'm here for the tutoring session you promised me!" 

Immediately, both of them freeze, staring at each other with wide eyes. Just then, the realization of what they were about to do downs upon them, and they get up in the speed of light, Chanyeol still holding onto Baekhyun's hips as they get to their feet. 

"I- I-.. uhm," Baekhyun starts stuttering, taking a step back away from Chanyeol and letting the taller's hand fall down from his body. "I should probably-.. get going...?"

Chanyeol's eyes momentarily fall down to Baekhyun's displayed collarbones - the job of the over-sized shirt - and then return up to Baekhyun's red-ish face, the words getting stuck in his throat yet again. He stays quiet, staring at Baekhyun with a lump in his throat, unable to say anything. 

"Then, I will just.. yeah. Thanks for letting me- uh, use the shower," Baekhyun finishes lamely, bending down to collect his things before turning his back to Chanyeol and making his way to the front door quickly. Chanyeol follows his retreating form until Baekhyun disappears behind a wall, his thoughts one big mess, voices loud in his head. 

And just then, when he hears the sound of the front door opening, he realizes that Baekhyun leaving right now through the front would mean that he is going to meet Jongdae, and Chanyeol would have a lot of explaining to do if his friend sees Baekhyun in this state, leaving Chanyeol's apartment at this hour. 

However, it's too late, and Chanyeol throws his head and lets out a troubled sigh when he hears Jongdae's, "What the fuck?!" 

A second later, Jongdae is already in front of him, asking the same  _what the fuck_ again, his expression utterly clueless, but Chanyeol doesn't really care about giving an explanation to his friend right now, especially not when he doesn't have the answers himself.  

_Why did I want to kiss him?_

_Why am I even attracted to him?_

_Why did I get so turned on because of him?_

 

 

Chanyeol chooses the easy way out in the end, answering all of his questions with  _I'm just truly sexually frustrated, there is nothing more to it._ It seems logical to him, since the last time he had sex was months ago with his ex-boyfriend, and Chanyeol, as everyone else, has his needs. Baekhyun being the one to make him all hot and bothered is just a coincidence. 

This is exactly what he tells to Jongdae a few minutes later when his friend keeps asking about it, being way too persistent for Chanyeol to reject, but unfortunately, Jongdae doesn't believe him at all, calling Chanyeol out on his bullshit right away.

And frankly, Chanyeol doesn't entirely believe himself as well, even though he doesn't say it out loud.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello! today im not late with the chapter lol, i just wanted to update on Christmas. So yea,merry christmas my dudes! Here is the new chapter with bonus 2k words for making u wait one more day haha.
> 
> Hope u like it :) 
> 
> I would talk abt the tragedy that happened a few days ago but... i cant. Ive cried too much to start the circle again so.. yea. I will just say that Jonghyun will be missed.

Baekhyun sits on the thick concrete balcony railing in nothing but his pyjamas and jacket, looking at the morning streets of Seoul at the crack of dawn, completely unbothered by the fact that he is quite a few meters above the ground. The pink-haired man sits there calmly as if he was relaxing on a bench in a park and not on a balcony on the twelfth floor of an apartment complex, his heels hitting the concrete railing as he swings his legs from time to time, fingers drumming along to an unknown melody in his head in the meantime.

Most people would probably think that he is crazy and has a death wish, and they would even try to get him off the railing and back on the ground where it's safe - as his parents had always done when they saw Baekhyun like this back in their flat on fifteenth floor.  _You could fall down!_ his mother used to say, but Baekhyun had never shared the fear of the possibility that he could, in fact, fall down and hurt himself, and thus, he ignored his mother's concerns every single time, only assuring her that he is truly alright. However, his assuring wasn't good enough for his parents, and Baekhyun always had to wait until they were gone to sit on the railing and watch the sky above him and busy town under him.

He has never been afraid of heights. It's the exact opposite, actually; Baekhyun loves them, and his perfect relax session includes being somewhere high above the ground. Since he moved in, he hasn't been really able to collect his thoughts while sitting on the balcony because it was way too cold, but today it's rather warm even though the sun is yet to show itself completely, and Baekhyun decided to give it a try. After all, he has a lot to think about and this might help; like it usually does, since Baekhyun is calm enough to make a sense of his racing thoughts.

Today, he even woke up early - surprisingly enough - and since he had around fifteen minutes before having to get ready for work, Baekhyun thought this was a perfect idea.

Well, it could have been, at least.

His plans to relax and sort out his thoughts are rudely interrupted though when Baekhyun feels arms wrapping around his waist, his whole body being pulled backwards only a second later. He yelps in shock and then groans in pain as he falls on the cold tiles, his bottom aching on the exact place it collided with the ground. 

"Wha-" before he can ask anything, the arms that were until now around Baekhyun's body are gone, and the pink-haired man is spun around in the speed light, feeling large hands gripping his shoulders tightly. Baekhyun is ready to curse the person that has done this to him to hell an back, but the words get stuck in his throat when his eyes focus on Chanyeol's face, his neighbour looking very troubled and worried.

"Don't do this," Chanyeol says hurriedly, shaking with Baekhyun slightly. The taller's eyes are wide in panic and the grip on Baekhyun's shoulders seemingly even tightens, upon which Baekhyun winces slightly because now not only his butt hurts, but his shoulders hurt. Besides, what is Chanyeol even talking about? Baekhyun can only frown in confusion, not getting the situation at all. 

Plus, his thinking session was interrupted, and Baekhyun truly doesn't appreciate it. That's why, his tone is quite unfriendly when he asks, "What are you talking about?" 

"I'm sorry for making your life hell for the past few weeks, but this is not a solution," Chanyeol starts, moving his face so close to Baekhyun's that the shorter can feel his neighbour's breath on his lips. Baekhyun's heart skips a beat and his breath hitches at the close proximity, and even though he would like to move away and put some distance between them, he can't; Chanyeol is holding him in place. "Look, I'm very sorry about being a dick to you, but I've already apologized and said that I didn't mean it!"

"I-I know?" Baekhyun whispers, gulping. Chanyeol is too close,  _way too close._ As close as he was yesterday, and Baekhyun's heart can't take things like these lightly. His crush has gotten stronger since Chanyeol started being nice to him, and this totally isn't helping. 

That aside... why the fuck is Chanyeol saying all of this? They have already talked about it. And why is he panicking so much? Nothing happened, as far as Baekhyun knows-  _oh,_ Baekhyun realizes finally.  _Did he think I was going to jump?_

Given how stressed out Chanyeol seems to be, apparently yes, he did think that Baekhyun was thinking of attempting suicide. Which is completely wrong, but the pink-haired man can't even blame Chanyeol for thinking such a thing. After all, he would probably think the same if he saw someone sitting on the balcony railing on such a high floor. Baekhyun's relaxing method isn't really common, and Chanyeol must have gotten the shock of his life when he saw Baekhyun like this.

So yes, he doesn't blame Chanyeol for misunderstanding the situation. However, he should correct his neighbour as soon as possible, seeing that Chanyeol is ready to have a panic attack. 

"Chanyeol, this is not-"

"No, listen to me," Chanyeol interrupts him, not letting Baekhyun speak. "If there is anything bothering you, you can come to me. Don't-"

"It's not what you-" Baekhyun tries again, only to be cut of with another light shake from Chanyeol. He frowns, not liking that he isn't even able to speak and actually straight things out, the giant going on an on without even trying to listen for a single second. Is Chanyeol always this stubborn?

"I will help you, I swear I will. I'm a great listener-"

 _You definitely are,_ Baekhyun thinks sarcastically just before he pries Chanyeol's hand off his shoulders, holding them in his own instead while staring deep into the giant's eyes as he says, "I was not planning to jump, so calm down." With that said, a wave of silence washes over them, the two men just staring into each others' eyes without saying anything for a while. Baekhyun watches as the panic disappears from those beautiful brown orbs, quickly replaced with relief and then confusion. Chanyeol has question marks dancing in his eyes, and Baekhyun sighs before explaining, "I was not going to jump, and I'm not depressed or anything like that. I was just... sitting there."

Another silence.

And then-

"Who the fuck does that?" he exclaims, but doesn't move away from Baekhyun at all, deciding to yell right into the shorter's face. Baekhyun cringes slightly at the high volume of Chanyeol's voice but stays put, sitting on the cold ground while Chanyeol is scolding him. "You can't do that, for Christ's sake! Are you crazy?" Yes, Baekhyun has heard this already. "One thing is scaring the shit out of me, but another thing is that you could have actually fallen down."

"Why would I-"

"What if there was suddenly a strong wind or something? What if you lost your balance? You could have  _died,_ " Chanyeol continues as if Baekhyun didn't say anything. "This is so dangerous, you can't do that! And what even is with your clothes? It's the first day of March, and you're sitting outside with a jacket and pyjamas, Jesus. If you don't fall down, you freeze - which is still leading to you dying, you know? What I'm saying is,  _don't ever do that again._ "

Chanyeol stares deeply into Baekhyun's eyes, trying to get Baekhyun to nod his head and promise that he won't ever sit on the balcony railing just like that in the future, but Baekhyun's only response is, "It helps me calm down. I can think that way."

Baekhyun can see that Chanyeol doesn't get him, that he thinks Baekhyun is completely crazy, but it doesn't really matter to the pink-haired man. His parents thought that he is a fool as well, and if Baekhyun didn't care at that time, he is not going to care now, his crush on Chanyeol be damned. 

Maybe thanks to the look Chanyeol is giving him, his eyes saying  _the fuck?_ so clearly, Baekhyun expects him to give him a speech about safety again, but Chanyeol doesn't do that, surprisingly enough. Instead, he asks, "B-But aren't you afraid, though? This is fucking twelfth floor."

"I love heights, in fact," Baekhyun chuckles, and Chanyeol  _still_ doesn't seem to understand him, but there is something... different in the way his neighbour is looking at him. Everyone who knows about Baekhyun's strange habit of sitting somewhere high and not exactly safe when he needs to sort out his thoughts just looks at him like he is completely out of his mind, but Chanyeol is different. While he looks at Baekhyun as if the pink-haired man was crazy, there is something like a spark of curiosity shining brightly in his big, almond-shaped eyes, as if he was fascinated by Baekhyun while not being able to grasp how can someone like Baekhyun even exist.  

"That's... good," the giant says in the end, and Baekhyun just laughs at how dorky it is. "I mean, loving heights is amazing, but you almost gave me a heart attack."

"Oh? Are you worried about me?" Baekhyun teases, his cheeks just the tiniest shade of pink as he realizes that they are merely a few inches apart and that he's still holding on to Chanyeol's hands. They are so close, almost like yesterday when he was lying on top of Chanyeol and the taller was dangerously close to kissing him - at least, Baekhyun thinks Chanyeol wanted to kiss him, judging by how his eyes lingered on Baekhyun's lips for a few seconds before he moved closer, and the way his arm wrapped around Baekhyun's thin waist. 

Maybe Baekhyun was imagining it all, but he really wants to believe that Chanyeol would have kissed him if they weren't interrupted. After all, he is a dreamer. 

"Of course I am," answering, Chanyeol frowns. A smile appears on Baekhyun's face upon hearing these words, and he is already opening his mouth to say something more when Chanyeol adds, "You are my next-door neighbour, I wouldn't want you hurt. Especially not now when we're already getting along, right?"

And just like that, Baekhyun's foolish dreams about Chanyeol wanting him in any way disappear, his heart shattering into millions of small pieces.  _Of course,_ Baekhyun thinks, laughing at himself internally. What did he think Chanyeol would say? That he worries because he cares about Baekhyun, since he likes him or something like that? What a stupid thought.

Yesterday it was just Baekhyun imagining stuff because he wanted it all so badly to happen. He was imagining things instead of seeing the real truth that was out there for everyone to see; Chanyeol would never like him, not in the way Baekhyun wants. Baekhyun should have gotten the hint, should have understood right away. Chanyeol wasn't exactly subtle about not being interested, and Baekhyun was just too blinded by his stupid crush to see it. Now, however, he can see it crystal clear. 

_He doesn't want me._

Baekhyun wishes he would listen to Sehun from time to time instead of getting his hopes up. Maybe he would end up hurt lesser times, this way. 

"Yeah, you're right," Baekhyun laughs, the sound so incredibly fake to his own ears, but Chanyeol seems to believe that Baekhyun's laughter is real, and that's all that matters. Seeing and hearing Chanyeol laugh back in that cute, dorky way is all that matters. 

 _It's quite sad,_ Baekhyun thinks with a smile still on his face as he subtly distances himself from Chanyeol, letting go of the giant's hands as he moves further away. He doesn't let his happy mask fall and tries to ignore the stinging pain in his chest, telling himself that he doesn't even have a reason to be sad because Chanyeol not wanting him was obvious from the start but... it still hurts. 

It fucking hurts, that the first person who has ever looked at Baekhyun like he's not completely crazy for liking to sit on the balcony railing on the twelfth floor - even stared at Baekhyun in something similar to fascination - is not someone who would ever like him back. For a second back there Baekhyun thought Chanyeol might like him back for real, at least a little bit, especially when his tall neighbour looked at him with that pretty spark in his beautiful, brown orbs instead of judging the shit out of him like any other person. Baekhyun's heart even skipped a beat, strange warmness spreading through his whole body, happiness bubbling in his stomach. 

At that moment, Baekhyun felt like his crush wasn't just an innocent crush anymore, but maybe something more. Baekhyun, stupidly enough, also fleetingly thought that Chanyeol could be  _the one._

_So foolish of me._

Despite the pain though, Baekhyun keeps on smiling like nothing happened, agreeing to have a quick morning coffee together with Chanyeol when his neighbour offers, even though the only thing the pink-haired man truly wants is to go back to his apartment and cry his eyes out. Maybe call Sehun while he's at it too, tell him that they should go out tonight.

Or maybe Baekhyun should just call Jongin and ask him to come and make him forget about the whole world for a short while again. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The fact that Baekhyun isn't feeling okay today doesn't escape a single employee of the bakery, the pink-haired man's fake smiles too obvious for their knowing eyes. The customers can't see it because Baekhyun is quite a good pretender and his smile is too charming even when it's not exactly real, but the ones working here sense the change in Baekhyun's mood right away, the exact moment he steps into the shop. All three look at him with worried expressions as Baekhyun takes off his coat and greets them, his bright grin not reaching his eyes like it usually does. However, apart from Sehun, none of them is brave enough to say something about it, at least not yet, afraid that their concern would break Baekhyun's happy mask along with his heart. 

Every employee of the bakery is good friends with Baekhyun. It's not really anything surprising, since Baekhyun is a very easy-going person and is so friendly that nobody can resist his charm, but it's still worth mentioning, considering that Baekhyun is, in fact, their boss. Not every person can be lucky enough to have a boss so nice, caring and understanding. And since Baekhyun is such a perfect boss and a perfect person in general, his employees can't help but care about him strongly, wanting to always see a smile on his pretty face. That's why, seeing him like that - clearly hurt but pretending to be okay - is making everyone feel incredibly bad. 

Especially Sehun who is his best friend and, unlike others, knows what is the cause of Baekhyun's sadness. He knows even without Baekhyun having to tell him because it's been so obvious from the start that this time will come; the time when Baekhyun understands that his feelings for Chanyeol won't be returned because Chanyeol... just isn't for him. Baekhyun deserves better, in Sehun's eyes. 

"Hey," Sehun is the last one to greet Baekhyun, coming up to the shorter man and smiling down at him, so gentle and soft and  _knowing._ It makes Baekhyun's fake grin disappear right away, the too-bright smile faltering the more they stare at each other, and it's not long before Baekhyun's eyes start watering with tears, his lower lip quivering. It takes so little to make him cry, Baekhuyn knows, but he really can't do anything about how emotional he is.

Seeing the unshed tears in Baekhyun's eyes, Sehun is quick to take Baekhyun by the hand and make his way to the back of the shop where the changing room is, the pink-haired man feeling the ache in his heart grow even more when Sehun touches him so tenderly, as if to say that he's here and everything's going to be alright. The other two employees don't try to stop them; they just follow the two with their eyes in silence, sadly looking at Baekhyun's back with worry, trusting Sehun that he'll make their dear boss feel at least a little bit better.

When the two of them close the door behind themselves after stepping inside the changing room, Sehun doesn't wait another second before he envelopes his best friend in a tight hug, whispering to Baekhyun's ear that if he feels like crying then he should just cry and let it all out. As if on cue, Baekhyun lets out a quiet sob, clutching onto Sehun's clothes as he buries his head in the crook of the taller's neck, needing to feel Sehun's closeness as much as possible right now. Baekhyun doesn't have the strength to talk, not yet. 

In situations like this, Sehun never tells Baekhyun the infamous  _I told you so._ Never once has Sehun done that. He always just holds Baekhyun as long as it's needed, whispering kind words into his ear while Baekhyun cries his eyes out because of another stupid man that, as Sehun will always say, isn't deserving of Baekhyun's love. It's somehow sadly fascinating how in all those twenty two years of Baekhyun's life there was not a single person that hasn't hurt the pink-haired man when it comes to relationships or crushes. 

"Why is it always like that?" Baekhyun whispers into Sehun's neck, voice so broken that it makes Sehun's heart hurt. "Why can't I actually like someone who will like me back?"

"Baekhyun-"

"Why does nobody want me?" the shorter's voice breaks, and Sehun only hugs him tighter, pulling him closer. 

"That's not true," Sehun says, his voice gentle but certain. "Don't say things like that."

Baekhyun just shakes his head and doesn't say anything more, crying into Sehun's shoulder like so many times before. His tears are soaking the taller's shirt but neither really cares, the two of them both falling into silence once again, the only sound filling the quietness of the room being Baekhyun's quiet sobs. 

Sehun wants to ask what happened, wants to know what exactly Chanyeol said that has made Baekhyun like this, but doesn't feel like it would be appropriate, not yet. He has to swallow the urge to know down, forgetting about it for a while until Baekhyun collects himself again, which will most likely take a few minutes. The curiosity is eating him up, but it's still not as important as comforting Baekhyun, and so Sehun focuses on hugging Baekhyun tighter instead of thinking about how Baekhyun's neigbhour fucked up this time. 

 

 

 

 

 

Baekhyun is sent home by Sehun after they've talked, his protests falling on deaf ears. Even the other employees want Baekhyun to go home and leave it to them for today, agreeing with Sehun who said that Baekhyun should just go back to bed and rest. The pink-haired man wants to stay at work so badly, not seeing how resting will help with the pain in his heart, but he has to listen to everyone in the end, since Sehun practically pushes him out of the bakery. Although Baekhyun wants to be grumpy about the fact that they basically throw him out of his own shop, he decides to let it go for once and catch up on some sleep instead. There is not much he can do after being banned from somewhere by Sehun - his best friend having the final say in such situations.  

And so, Baekhyun goes back home and strips out of his clothes completely, climbing into his bed naked and wrapping up his body in the warm blankets. He hopes that he can fall asleep quickly because as of now he is alone with his thoughts, and he doesn't like it one bit. Having no comfort of Sehun's arms around him and his shoulder to cry on makes Baekhyun feel so incredibly lonely, and even the warm blankets and soft bed aren't enough of a compensation. 

Baekhyun closes his eyes, wishing that the sleepiness will wash over him soon.

While desperately wanting to fall asleep, Baekhyun thinks of everything that Sehun has said to him during their fifteen minutes talk that followed after Baekhyun's crying session. He knows that he should probably think of happy thoughts if he wants to be less sad, but Baekhyun can't help it, especially when one thing his best friend said is still on his mind.

 _Considering all you've said, I don't think you don't stand a chance with him, to be honest. He didn't outright reject you, too,_ Sehun has told Baekhyun. The pink-haired man couldn't believe that Oh Sehun, the guy that had hated Chanyeol since the first time he heard of him, was telling Baekhyun such a thing. Baekhyun even wanted to tell Sehun to stop giving him false hopes because that's what had started this in the first place, but then he saw how bitter Sehun was about it actually saying it and realized that his best friend was serious. 

Just as Baekhyun's face lightened up in hope, Sehun was quick to add;  _Still, I would be much happier if you just... tried to forget about him. I don't have a good feeling about this._

But the thing is, if Baekhyun could get rid of his feelings for Chanyeol that easily, he would've done it already. The problem here is that every time Baekhyun decides to let Chanyeol go in whatever sense, Chanyeol suddenly comes running back to him. And it confuses Baekhyun to no end. 

At the beginning, when Chanyeol was so damn hostile and rude, rejecting every attempt at conversation Baekhyun had initiated and Baekhyun had decided to stop trying after some time? Even throwing his neighbour against the elevator's wall after Chanyeol was just becoming too much? Chanyeol suddenly started being friendly, holding the door for Baekhyun, taking the stairs instead of him and he even washed Baekhyun's scarf and gave it back to him.

The second time, when Chanyeol snapped completely after Baekhyun was just trying to cheer him up with a cake on Valentine's Day? Chanyeol went knocking on Baekhyun's balcony door not even a minute later, wanting to apologize. 

The third time, when Baekhyun was sure that Chanyeol would never want him and thus he decided to move on somehow? The bathroom incident happened and Chanyeol truly looked like he was enjoying holding Baekhyun, even looked like he was going to kiss the pink-haired man. 

He wonders if Chanyeol is able to sense that Baekhyun is trying to move on from him, and that's when he barges into Baekhyun's life, chaining Baekhyun to him without really knowing over and over again. And Baekhyun, so stupidly, always lets Chanyeol in again. 

Because Baekhyun always forgives, always stays, always comes back and _always_ lets people into his heart even though there is a high risk of him getting hurt. That's just how he is. 

However, it would be nice if, for a change, someone came back to  _him_ and actually staid for  _him._

Someone loved  _him._  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jongin comes around five in the evening, and Baekhyun doesn't wait a second before he throws himself at the man, smashing their lips together in a desperate kiss. He could be considered shameless for jumping a man in the hallway where people can see them - if there were any - but he truly doesn't care now. He needs this way too much to hold himself back, and he has already waited almost all day for Jongin to be free and come here. 

"I'm glad you came," Baekhyun says when they part, not giving Jongin time to say anything back as he goes for another kiss, this time deeper. He is desperate to feel someone's hands on his body, desperate for someone to give him love at least in this way. And Jongin is perfect for it, the man not only handsome but also so fucking good in bed. Last time, Baekhyun tried to not make any sounds, but this time he doesn't care if Chanyeol hears. For all Baekhyun knows, Chanyeol shouldn't even be home yet, this neighbour mentioning something about staying at friend's tonight. 

So he's free to be as loud as he wants, other neighbours be damned. 

"Baekhyun, I need-" Jongin attempts to tell the pink-haired man something, but Baekhyun doesn't let him, pulling the taller into his flat swiftly and closing the door behind them. A second later, Jongin is pushed against the very same door, Baekhyun unbuttoning his coat as he kisses his jaw hungrily, loving the sharp lines of it.

His fingers work quick, and just as Baekhyun is about to strip Jongin off of the coat, his companion finally succeeds in interrupting him, "Baekhyun, I can't," Jongin says, grabbing both of Baekhyun's hands, holding him just tight enough to stop his movement, but not enough to hurt him. Baekhyun looks up at him with confusion in his eyes, silently asking for Jongin to elaborate. And so Jongin does, "I-I've gotten together with Soo. Today. So I can't do this."

"O-Oh," as if he has gotten an electric shock, Baekhyun jumps away from Jongin, realizing that he kissed a man who is already in a relationship with someone else. "I'm sorry. I didn't know that- I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Actually, _I'm_ sorry, I should have told you sooner," Jongin smiles at him apologetically as he takes off his coat, throwing it on the hanger before he steps closer to Baekhyun whose face has turned quite pink in embarrassment in the meantime. Immediately, Baekhyun moves away and turns around, not being able to look at Jongin because of how stupid he feels at the moment, cursing himself for jumping the man without asking if it's alright beforehand. Maybe if he wasn't so desperate to get laid, they wouldn't end up in this ridiculous, awkward situation.

Luckily enough, Jongin knows how to deal with awkward situations, "Anyway... let's have dinner. I bought enough chicken for both of us, so..."

 

 

\--

 

 

Chanyeol's papers fall to the ground and his mouth hangs open as he sees the scene in front of him, eyes wide open in shock. He doesn't make any move to pick up his notes though, only standing there in the hallway, frozen, staring at the now-closed door of Baekhyun's apartment with an incredibly uneasy feeling seizing his heart. A big knot creates in his stomach and his mouth go dry, and as if all that isn't enough, Chanyeol feels like the breath was knocked out of him.

All that thanks to seeing Baekhyun throwing himself at Jongin, kissing the guy senseless before pulling him into his apartment with ease. Baekhyun looked eager,  _way too eager,_ and Chanyeol doesn't have to be a genius to figure out what is going to happen between the two now. 

They are going to sleep together for sure. Again.

And somehow, the thought of Baekhyun having sex with Jongin is making Chanyeol very, very uncomfortable. Chanyeol could say that it's because he is definitely going to hear everything, but if he had to be honest with himself, it's not only that. Baekhyun being touched by Jongin, being kissed by Jongin, being  _fucked_ by Jongin; it's all making his skin crawl for a reason, and there are all kinds of strange feelings crushing into Chanyeol's body like waves. Chanyeol is reluctant to say it, even think about it, but one of those feelings is definitely hatred of some kind. Hatred for Jongin that ignited out of nowhere when he saw the guy being kissed by Baekhyun.

He feels so uneasy, and he regrets that he decided to come back home tonight. Truly, Chanyeol should have stayed at Jongdae's. That way, he would have spared himself of this sight and of this... unwanted feelings. Still, Chanyeol doesn't feel like going back outside and either walk all the way to Jongdae's again or crash at some coffee shop down the street until he is sure the two are done with their business, and so he forces himself to swallow down the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his stomach and tells himself not to care. 

Frowning and finally breaking out of his tranz, Chanyeol bends down to pick the papers from the floor, and he huffs in frustration as he makes his way toward his apartment.  _Whatever,_ Chanyeol tells himself, trying to make the image of Baekhyun's body being ravished by Jongin disappear. He shouldn't even care, to be honest. Baekhyun is nothing to him, a mere neighbour with whom he finally has good relations after getting his shit together. They are not together in any way, they are not even friends, so there is no reason for Chanyeol to feel like that. 

Like he wants to go to Baekhyun's apartment and throw Jongin out... maybe replace Jongin's lips on Baekhyun's with his own, if possible.

Groaning at his own thoughts, Chanyeol opens the door to his flat and shut them loudly behind himself, throwing the papers on the small hallway bench without much care. He strips off of his coat and hangs it on one of the hangers and runs a hand through his hair in frustration. He doesn't hear any sounds coming from Baekhyun's apartment yet which is only good, but he dreads the time when those sinful sounds come... caused by Jongin. 

Chanyeol doesn't think twice before fishing his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans, dialling Jongdae's number and flopping down on the couch in the living room as it rings. His fingers drum against the surface of the couch, then draw an unknown pattern on it while he waits for Jongdae to pick up, which seems like forever even though it's only a few seconds. 

Finally, after four rings, Jongdae picks up, "Have you forgotten something?" he asks, chuckling. 

"No, I haven't," Chanyeol rolls his eyes at the greeting. He can't blame Jongdae for asking that question right away though, since ninety percent of time Chanyeol  _does_ call him because he has forgotten something. Chanyeol is quite a forgetful person, though - he even forgot his own birthday once when he was younger, and he had to have a notepad for important days to keep up with all of them if he didn't want to sadden his friends and family. He still has the notepad, and checks it at the beginning of every week just to make sure he will forget about someone's birthday or something. 

"Okay, fine, that's a relief. I surely wouldn't be up for bringing you your stuff again, I'm already naked and very ready to take a bath. And no, you are not invited."

"I surely wouldn't come even if I was invited," Chanyeol says but laughs, feeling his mood being lifted a little by Jongdae's stupid humor. 

"Anyway, what are you calling me for?" he asks, voice sounding nonchalant but Chanyeol knows that he cares and is curious about why Chanyeol is calling him. 

But the thing is, Chanyeol isn't really sure why he called Jongdae. It was just an impuls. However, he doesn't want his friend to just wait on the other side of the line, so he blurts out, "I saw Baekhyun kissing the Jongin guy I had told you about before."

"...And?"

"And they are most likely going to fuck."

Another silence from Jongdae, then another, "...And?" followed shortly by, "I mean, why do you care?"

"Because-" Chanyeol stops before he can give Jongdae a reason, not really able to find the right words. He hasn't made sense of his emotions yet and, as previously mentioned, him calling Jongdae was just because of an impuls, and Chanyeol doesn't know why he did it. He guesses that it was because he wanted to tell his friend about the misfortune of being there when the kiss between Jongin and Baekhyun happened, but he has already done that. However, he doesn't have the answer as to why he is so triggered by it. 

"Because...?" Jongdae pries, and he uses this familiar, strange teasing tone. Chanyeol hates it because when Jongdae uses this tone it's as if he knew more than Chanyeol himself, and he is just enjoying Chanyeol being stupid enough to figure it all out. 

"It just makes me uncomfortable," Chanyeol replies in the end, voice bitter. "I don't like Jongin and the thought of him-"

"Having Baekhyun instead of you is disturbing?"

"Yes!" then, as Chanyeol realizes what he has just said, he quickly changes his answer to, "No, of course not!" it's too late, though, and Jongdae only laughs at the other side of the line. Chanyeol needs to fix this, or either Jongdae will get the wrong idea, and so he starts again, "It's not like that, really. It's just- ugh, just-"

"Why not admit that you want him for yourself?" Jongdea interrupts again, and his voice echos a little this time. He is probably already in the bathroom. "I mean, what would have happened if I didn't come yesterday?"

" _Nothing,_ " Chanyeol replies curtly, even though he is not so sure himself. After all, he  _really_ wanted to kiss Baekhyun yesterday, no matter how bad it sounds. He wanted to touch him too, so badly that when he thinks about it now he suddenly feels at loss for not having the midget under his arm, like he did yesterday. To be honest, his head still spins a little when he remembers how close they were with Baekhyun's scent lingering in the air and numbing Chanyeol's senses. 

"Maybe. Or maybe not. My point is, the guy is on your mind whether you want it or not," Jongdae says casually, and Chanyeol splutters. "Do you really think you can lie to me and say that he isn't, you idiot? I know you."

"He's  _not,_ " Chanyeol still insists, brows furrowing once again. "If you've forgotten, I'm still not over Kyungsoo. There is no way that Baekhyun of all people would be in my mind instead."

Which is a lie, Chanyeol knows. Today's morning has proven this.

Having morning coffee on the balcony was something he had always done with Kyungsoo. They would sit behind the small table on two small metal chairs, talking at the break of dawn and just enjoying the moment before going to their classes, hot, black coffees in their hands. The table they shared almost every morning is still on the balcony even though Chanyeol wanted to throw it out at some point, leaving it there only after Jongdae complied that Chanyeol can't simply discard everything that reminds him of Kyungsoo. 

And today, Chanyeol shared his morning coffee with Baekhyun at the exact same table, him being the one t prepare it for both of them - Baekhyun's coffee with tons of sugar and milk because the pink-haired man likes his coffee sweet. They didn't talk that much, since Baekhyun was not that communicative today, but they enjoyed the sun breaking the sky together in a comfortable silence. It was very pleasant, Chanyeol has to say. 

Chanyeol also thought that Baekhyun was very pretty when he was still half-asleep, eyes not fully open but a small smile on his lips as he stared at the awaking Seoul. 

At that time, when they were just sitting there in silence with Chanyeol stealing glances at Baekhyun more often than not, Chanyeol didn't think of Kyungsoo even a single time. He only thought of Baekhyun, wondering what was going on in the pink-haired man's head as looked at the sky with that small, pretty smile.  He also fleetingly wondered if Baekhyun was also thinking about what happened in the bathroom yesterday... about what could have happened, possibly. 

"You don't have to be completely over Kyungsoo to admit that you are starting to like someone else."

"I'm not starting to like him," Chanyeol shakes his head. "I've already told you, I was just horny because-"

"Then find someone. Even though your ears are quite a turn off, I'm sure you can find someone to fuck if you are horny," Jongdae is starting to sound annoyed with Chanyeol, his voice frustrated. And since angry Jongdae is nothing pleasant to deal with, Chanyeol decides to not call Jongdae out on insulting his ears. 

Instead, he just says a grumpy, "Thanks."

"Okay, sorry," Jongdae sighs. "But really, Chanyeol. From everything you've told me, you can't blame me for thinking that you are starting to like him, can you? And now you're calling me all triggered because you saw Baekhyun kiss someone else, too. You can't possibly think that I'm gonna believe you are jealous as fuck of this Jongin guy just because you are horny, especially when you could go out and find someone for the night. So, for fuck's sake, stop being so stubborn and accept that you don't want anything else; you want Baekhyun."

"But I'm... I-"

"I'm not telling you to marry him, I'm just telling you to accept the possibility that you like him," Jongdae says, this time no harshness in his voice. "And you should do it soon because that Jongin can steal him away from you if you keep on being in denial." 

Chanyeol is speechless. He doesn't know what to say because what Jongdae is saying actually makes sense, even though Chanyeol doesn't want to believe it, mostly because he was so sure that Kyungsoo was the only one in his heart, that he still isn't over the guy even though it's been a few months now. The possibility of Baekhyun being the one to replace Kyungsoo in his heart was just... unimaginable, but Jongdae seems to be dead set on thinking that Chanyeol likes Baekhyun.

And Chanyeol... doesn't know. He doesn't know if he likes Baekhyun.

Yes, he thinks of Baekhyun as attractive and if he has to be completely honest, he would most likely want to sleep with Baekhyun too. He would want to kiss him as well because his next-door neighbour's lips are rather pretty, looking so inviting that Chanyeol almost let himself be drawn in yesterday. Touching Baekhyun also seems appealing, especially since Baekhyun's skin looks so damn soft and just begs to be marked. So yes, there is definitely attraction and lust, and judging by how Baekhyun looked at him in that bathroom when he was lying on top of Chanyeol, Baekhyun feels the same. He might like Chanyeol too.

Chanyeol can't lie and tell that it's only physical. He finds Baekhyun interesting, almost fascinating. There is so much more to his personality that Chanyeol initially thought, and now he just wants to know more and more about the pink-haired man, wanting to find out how his mind works. He wants to find out what makes him blush in embarrassment and what makes him sad, or angry. He wants to know if Baekhyun has another crazy habit like sitting on the railing on the twelfth floor of the apartment complex, and he also wants to find out what is Baekhyun afraid for. 

He wants to know  _things_ about him.

But still, "I don't know, Jongdae. Really. I still... miss Kyungsoo."

"I know you do. Of course you do," Chanyeol can't see his friend's face, but he is sure that Jongdae is smiling fondly. "I'm just-... I'm saying that Baekhyun won't stay single forever, and he might be taken by the time you decide what you truly feel. So if you feel  _something,_ stop denying it and accept it instead. And I know you do because if you didn't, you wouldn't care about Jongin having his way with him as we speak."

The last sentence makes Chanyeol cringe quite visibly, and that's enough of an answer.

"I-" Chanyeol starts again, but he stops himself again as disturbing thoughts start flooding his mind. _Jongin is truly having a taste of Baekhyun as I speak with Jongdae,_ he realizes, and the realization makes him feel so uncomfortable that instead of arguing with Jongdae about his feelings for Baekhyun, he stands up from the couch and ends the call with, "Call you later."

Chanyeol is very impulsive. It was proven many times before, and it also caused a lot of problems for Chanyeol in the past. 

It happens more often than not, Chanyeol not thinking about what he says or what he does because he is acting upon his heart's wishes, and that's why he usually can't explain his actions when he is asked about it later. Jongdae is used to it and teases Chanyeol about it all the time, and Baekhyun has been able to see the impulsive side of him too already. It's not exactly a good thing, Chanyeol knows, but it saved his skin as many times as it has fucked everything up.

And as Chanyeol runs out of his apartment and makes his way to Baekhyun's, knocking on the pink-haired man's door with all his might, he wonders what it'll be this time - if it will fuck everything up, or if it will save his skin in the long run. 

However, the most important thing now is stopping Jongin and Baekhyun before they fuck.

The door opens a few seconds later, a very startled Baekhyun with an expression full of panic appearing. "Did something happen?" he asks right away, worrying about the tall visitor thanks to how desperate Chanyeol's knocks were. 

To Chanyeol's surprise, it doesn't look like anything naughty is happening here.

Baekhyun is not naked and doesn't look disheveled at all, unlike what Chanyeol expected, lips not wet with saliva and face not flushed. In the background, he can see Jongin who is eating chicken behind the table while sitting on the floor of Baekhyun's living room, fully dressed in tight pants and black shirt, hair styled perfectly like they were not touched at all. 

Everything looks... normal. 

"Uhm, I-" why does everything look normal? He saw how Baekhyun threw himself at Jongin, dragging him into his apartment like a horny teenager, so why are they just... eating? Not like Chanyeol protests. In fact, he is actually internally happy to find them just eating instead of doing _something else,_ but still. There is no way he had misunderstood the situation, that kiss Baekhyun had gifted Jongin with was everything but innocent, so... what? 

"Yeah?" Baekhyun still looks very worried, small eyes wide and staring at Chanyeol intensely. 

"Well, I was just-" _think of something Chanyeol, come on._ "I just wanted to ask if you don't want to... have dinner with me today?"

"That's why you were banging on my door like there was a fire?" Baekhyun chuckles, visibly relaxing after finding out nothing dangerous is happening. 

"I'm sure he really, really wants to have dinner with you, then," Jongin supplies from the back, chuckling. He makes eye-contact with Chanyeol when Chanyeol looks behind Baekhyun's shoulder, and the guy is looking so cocky and so damn proud of his comment that Chanyeol can only frown at him. Jongin's smile only widens, and he bites into his chicken, all too pleased with himself. His eyes are clearly saying that he knows what's going on, that he understands the situation and why Chanyeol came, almost knocking Baekhyun's door down in the process. 

Chanyeol really, really dislikes the guy, he decides. Jongin can be handsome, but he is the biggest dick on the planet for sure, enjoying Chanyeol's struggling to the fullest. 

When he looks back at Baekhyun, Chanyeol sees a faint blush coloring his cheeks, and the taller's heart skips a beat because Baekhyun is so... so damn cute. Chanyeol wants to se pinch those cheeks. 

"Then, uhm.." Baekhyun clears his throat, half-assedly covering his face with his hand to hide his blush. "Come in..? We have enough food so..."

And even though Chanyeol feels so damn uncomfortable with Jongin smiling as if he knew his deepest thoughts, Chanyeol is glad to be invited inside by Baekhyun. 

He is even more glad when he realizes that Jongin and Baekhyun were just eating dinner instead of doing other things.


	9. Chapter 9

hello guys!

So ive been telling some of u that im gonna update on 14th january but i havent yet, and im sorry. I probably wont update for another week or so because im sick as fuck and my depression has been getting the best of me recently lol, and im sorry for that. 

Those who were reading my other fanfic know how much i hate not updating/postponing the update, but for those who dont know - i hate it really much. it literally makes me feel uncomfortable bcs i know there are people out there waiting for the update, and i feel like ive disappointed. So yeah, feel pretty shit for not updating and im very sorry.

Honest reason, beside being sick as fuck lol, ive been having this writer's block but only for this fic. I have written 11k words for this mafia oneshot, but i was unabe to write more than three paragraphs for this fic, and even those short paragraphs were literal shit and i dont like them at all bcs they seem somewhat forced. 

So yeah, im very sorry for not updating and i will try to update as soon as possible bcs I REALLY WANT TO UPDATE UGH.

If the next chapter isnt an update, it will most likely be link to the mafia oneshot bcs it is almost finished. 

Lmao and all my studing went to hell and ive screwed on my chemistry exam royally, and i feel like more failures are abt to come, which is completely amazing wow 

I hope you can wait a lil bit longer for the update, i loveyou and i will do my best. :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: hi! i feel so nervous about posting it and i guess everyone is able to tell why - i havent updated veryyy long and this is the first thing i wrote after my writer's block. it's 5k words i wrote in one sitting bcs after a convo with my best friend Hasti, the inspiration kicked in and i was able to write again. if you're reading this, thank you so much hasti u literally saved me haha.
> 
> okay, many ppl don't read a/n BUT PLEASE READ THIS ITS VERY IMPORTANT - ok so, half of this chapter is a convo between pcy and kjd, and i just want to say that even tho it kinda seems pointless, it's not. later on the importance of this convo will show very clearly. many of u now (and later will) feel that pcy is an asshole (that's a warning for the future lol) so i want you all to remember this convo between pcy and kjd when u want to kill pcy. some ppl don't realize, but moving on from their first love (or big love, doesn't matter) is FUCKING HARD. and even tho u think u found someone u love, u arent able to love them properly until that original person is out of your heart. so have mercy with pcy haha, he is just a baby with a broken heart and he IS trying and he LIKES and later on will even LOVE bbh for real. 
> 
> sometimes i feel like i have to point something out bcs ppl are quick to form an opinion, and while that's completely alright (i do it as well oops) i want to maybe... give u all some background info? lol idk i hope you get what i'm saying i'm bad at talking haha. if someone wants to talk abt pcy's thinking and feelings and just wants to share an opinion, pls do so in comments i will gladly reply and discuss the matter!! or u can message me on tumblr mychogiway.tumblr.com
> 
> OK ANYWAY, now when that is out of the way, i want to thank you all for support you gave me. i was really emotional after seeing your comments, it made me feel as if though i was that much of a failure for postponing updates in the middle of the fic. :) i really love you all, you are amazing. i couldn't be more grateful for such understanding and supportive readers!
> 
> ALSO INFO - that mafia fic i was talking abt wil be posted in max two weeks. it's already 20k words long haha but it's not yet finished so it will be a oneshot of maybe 30k words in the end. i hope it'll be enough as an apology for not updating this fanfic for more than a month now. i will try to post it asap ! :) 
> 
> when i think about, me postponing the updates for this fic gave me a lot of time for the fics i have in drafts, so i dont feel THAT bad about not updating. at least i've written other things i can post for you in the future. i wrote quite an amount of words for my BAEfic too so i would say the break i had from this fic helped?? idk how to say it haha but authors most likely get my nonsense. 
> 
> now, enough rambling. enjoy the chapter (hopefully)! the next update is scheduled in ten days as originally. and get ready for smut in the next-next chapter /winkwink

 

The decision to go to Baekhyun's that night was made in haste and panic, but when Chanyeol thinks back about it now, it was one of the best decisions he has ever made. At that moment, with Jongin's constant teasing and Baekhyun telling his friend to shut up afterwards it certainly didn't seem so, but looking at it three weeks later, Chanyeol is glad that he managed to live through the embarrassment that day, because the dinner at Baekhyun's was an unexpected start to his new life. 

Many would say that calling the events that followed  _new life_ is an over-exaggeration, but it's really not. Having an addiction that goes by the name of Byun Baekhyun in his every day life certainly turned everything around because, well, Baekhyun is a handful. It took maybe three days to get the man out of his shy cocoon, but after that Baekhyun started being his true loud self, cheerful and so _extremely_ sociable that Chanyeol had trouble keeping up with him even though he was desperately trying, many times feeling strangely drained after spending just a few hours with Baekhyun. 

However, Chanyeol likes the change. Being with Baekhyun is refreshing, and it reminds Chanyeol of how he used to be before dating Kyungsoo, all lively and loud as well. 

After getting into a relationship with Kyungsoo, Chanyeol's bright personality kind of... changed. His ex-boyfriend was calmer than him, more collected than him and more mature in general, and in comparison to Kyungsoo, Chanyeol seemed simply too childish - that's why he tried to change even though Kyungsoo told him that he likes Chanyeol's playful side. Eventually, his lively side of self become forgotten the more time he spent with Kyungsoo without neither of them noticing anyway, and just now when Kyungsoo is long gone, Chanyeol realizes that he truly became different, that he repressed his true personality to match someone's else. And it took just one Byun Baekhyun for him to realize it. 

With Baekhyun, Chanyeol feels alive again. It's like the pink-haired man breathed some life back into Chanyeol and pulled him out of his misery bit by bit with every meet up for coffee or lunch, or with every dinner they have spent in Baekhyun's apartment, watching shitty movies and tv shows. Even Jongdae pointed it out a few days ago, asking Chanyeol what happened to him that it made him go back to the man he used to be before Kyungsoo. His friend was visibly happy about the change, noticing it even before Chanyeol could. After Chanyeol explained the situation, Jongdae even said that he likes Baekhyun.

And when it comes to Chanyeol... he likes Baekhyun too.  

At first, he wanted to deny the fact because accepting it seemed dangerous, but in the end, Chanyeol decided not to fight the feeling that slowly but surely bloomed. How could he even fight it, when Baekhyun is just so... fucking adorable. He is like the epitome of sunshine, all smiles and cuteness, and Chanyeol finds himself entranced by the way Baekhyun radiates happiness, having a natural charm that sweeps everyone off their feet. Chanyeol sometimes wonders how could he shut Baekhhyun out for so long in the beginning when now it seems that he can't keep apart from the man.

Baekhyun is beautiful, and not only physically. His personality is as beautiful as his appearance, so pure that one would have a hard time believing it, being sure that nobody can be that innocent without having even the tiniest bit of malice in them. Chanyeol, too, thought it's impossible to simply be hundred percent goodness, but Baekhyun is here to prove him that it indeed is possible, and he does it every day. He proves the fact in the mornings when they have coffee together, he proves it when they are having lunch sometimes, and he proves it when they are simply hanging out in the evenings and talking about everything that has happened to them thorough the day.

By three weeks, there is not a single doubt in Chanyeol's mind about Baekhyun being too pure for this world, just like there isn't a single doubt about him liking the pink-haired ball of cuteness that lives next door. The emotion in his heart is still too weak to battle the emotions Chanyeol felt for Kyungsoo when the two were together, but at the same time Chanyeol feels like the liking he has taken to Baekhyun holds potential to be greater than what he felt for Kyungsoo. It's thrilling just as it's scary; thrilling because Chanyeol wants to feel love again and wants to give this love to Baekhyun, but scary because Chanyeol isn't sure if Baekhyun feels the same. 

Telling if he has a chance with Baekhyun is hard, because Baekhyun acts really confusing. When Chanyeol drops hints here and there, Baekhyun seems to get it and even like it, but then the next second he subtly distances himself from Chanyeol and plays everything off like nothing happened. Even the sexual tension between them has reached impossible heights during the past three weeks, the accident they had had in Chanyeol's bathroom not forgotten at all. It's just the opposite actually; every time they get too close, Chanyeol's mind reminds him of how nice Baekhyun smelled and how fine his body felt under Chanyeol's fingertips that night. Chanyeol could die of want during these moments. 

Jongdae, as Chanyeol's best friend, knows all about Chanyeol's new-found feelings for Baekhyun, and thus he knows about Chanyeol's desire for the pink-haired man as well. His friend even asked if Chanyeol is sure that his feelings for Baekhyun aren't only there because he wants to get into Baekhyun's pants, but Chanyeol quickly assured Jongdae that the butterflies in his stomach and the tingly feeling he gets when Baekhyun as much as smiles at him are definitely not something he would feel if he only wanted to have sex with Baekhyun. Chanyeol knows because there were times he wanted to fuck someone just because they were attractive, and his emotions were very different from what he feels when he looks into Baekhyun's pretty, droopy-shaped eyes. 

When he looks at Baekhyun, Chanyeol's heart beats in adoration and skips one of the beats every time Baekhyun gifts him with that beautiful eye-smile. Being with with the man makes Chanyeol forget all about Kyungsoo and the ache their break-up brought to him, and  _nobody_ was able to make him simply forget his first big heartbreak. It could be said that Baekhyun did the impossible, something even Jongdae as Chanyeol's best friend couldn't do no matter how hard he tried, keeping Chanyeol company and trying to make him smile on every occasion, and Chanyeol wants to believe that it means something. After all, if after a few short weeks a person finds a way into Chanyeol's heart, it should mean they are special, right?  

And Chanyeol indeed believes that Baekhyun could be - is? - special, the thought impaling his body like an arrow once again as the pink-haired man opens the door for him in just a loose white shirt and sweatpants, a pretty, welcoming smile adoring his face. "Hey," the greeting comes a second later, and Chanyeol momentarily forgets how to speak. 

It's funny, how a few weeks ago he couldn't stand seeing a glimpse of Baekhyun, and now he would spend days looking at the man. Three weeks definitely did a lot to Chanyeol and his heart. 

"Hi. You came home early today," Chanyeol comments as he steps into Baekhyun's apartment, their today's dinner in the plastic back Chanyeol is holding. "I was just on the way home so I picked hotdogs from the shop you like." Because at this point Chanyeol already knows a lot about Baekhyun thanks to how much they have talked, including the man's likes and dislikes. The knowledge makes him feel nice. 

Closing the door, Baekhyun turns to Chanyeol, smile never leaving his face. "Yeah, Sehun sent me home early," taking the bag from Chanyeol's hand, the midget walks over to his couch and flops himself down on it, expecting Chanyeol to follow him. "Isn't it funny? I get ordered around by my own employee." 

"Why did he send you home, though?" Chanyeol asks suspiciously, going to sit next to Baekhyun. "He only sends you home when he feels like you need it." 

Oh Sehun is Baekhyun's best friend and also an employee, Chanyeol has come to know. Baekhyun talks about the man a lot; about their childhood memories and about how good of a friendship they have going on. Although Chanyeol has only seen the man a few times and they have never spoken together, he knows tons of things about Sehun from Baekhyun - for example that Sehun is very overprotective of Baekhyun and cares a lot, always sending Baekhyun home from work when he sees that the pink-haired man is tired and needs to rest. 

However, there are also things Chanyeol doesn't have to hear from Baekhyun to know about Sehun, one of them being that Sehun strongly dislikes him. It wasn't said out loud, but the glares that Baekhyun's best friend sends him every time Chanyeol comes anywhere near the bakery, and thus near Baekhyun, are enough of an indication. Sehun is kind of intimidating, if Chanyeol were to be honest, and it's hard to believe that the man with such sharp gaze and menacing height is the same man Baekhyun describes as  _adorable baby._  

"Well, I don't need it," scoffing, Baekhyun pulls one of the hotdogs out of the beg and inspects it. Seeing that it has mustard in it, he hands it to Chanyeol quickly and takes out the other one, clearly hungry. This time, he pulls out his favorite, one with delicious mayonnaise all over it, and bites into it immediately with hearts in his eyes. With full mouth, he mumbles out a grateful thank you directed at Chanyeol, and Chanyeol has to brace himself because  _fuck that's cute._

"You always say that," Chanyeol points out and bites into his own hotdog. "But everyone knows you like to overwork yourself."

Another thing Chanyeol has found out about Baekhyun is that the man is very,  _very_ devoted to his bakery. Instead of hiring more employees and giving himself a break, Baekhyun prefers to do as much work as possible by himself, working from early morning til late at night, especially when they have special orders.

"I love my job, it's what I've always wanted to do," is Baekhyun's response. "Why is everyone so triggered by me taking care of my shop?" 

"Because they are worried about you," Chanyeol counters. "Would it kill you to take a break once in a while?"

"I take breaks alright," Baekhyun rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed to talk about this topic again, but his voice is light. "And I'm not tired. Sehun just likes to see things that aren't there because he is overprotective like that. Besides, what would I do if I weren't in the shop? Lazing around all day with nothing to do?"

"Resting."

"I am rested, though," Baekhyun pouts, not liking the fact that Chanyeol doesn't believe him. "Don't you see? Do I seem tired or something?"

"It's not about that. Your body needs rest even though you don't currently feel like it. In the future, what if you faint because of exhaustion or something? It's a fact that-"

"You sure like to play smart," Baekhyun cuts him off with a laugh, nudging Chanyeol teasingly. He takes another bite of his dinner and then reaches out for the tv remote, turning on the television and going through the channels with the speed of light, trying to find someone he deems worthy of his attention for the night. "I rest a lot okay? I get eight hours of sleep on - almost - daily basis too, and I'm resting even now."

"That's not enough."

Finally finding a movie good enough, Baekhyun throws the remote on the couch beside them and turns to Chanyeol with the same pretty smile as always, his eyes sparkling youthfully. There is a bit of a mayonnaise at the corner of his mouth too, near that cute mole, and Baekhyun licks it with a flick of his tongue quickly, not even knowing that this millisecond was enough to make Chanyeol's heart stop beating. "I can take care of myself, Chanyeol. Been doing that for quite some time now," the pink-haired man chuckles. "Thanks for your concern, though. Just a little bit more of it and I will get the idea that you madly care about me." 

Baekhyun's voice is teasing, playful, but when Chanyeol blurts out his next words, they are more than serious, "What if I do?"

A momentary silence comes as the realization of Chanyeol's question dawns upon Baekhyun almost immediately, his bow-shaped lips parting in surprise. He probably didn't expect Chanyeol to say something like that, in such a serious tone as well, but if it makes him feel better, Chanyeol didn't expect this of himself either. It's a well-known fact, that the tall man doesn't think much before saying something, but it still surprises him when such times come because it's always unexpected.

"I-uhm," Baekhyun mumbles, blinking rapidly. He averts his gaze from Chanyeol a second later, clearing his throat and laughing awkwardly. "That's good then," is all he says before biting into his hotdog, stuffing his mouth so he'll be excused from talking more. A good tactic, Chanyeol has to admit, but the blush coloring his cheeks is telling enough, no words needed. It's cute, how quickly Baekhyun can redden when Chanyeol drops something like that. "Let's watch the movie, it looks interesting."

"Yeah," Chanyeol agrees, but it's not like he truly cares about the movie. He could care less about what's playing right now, to be honest. "Let's." 

 

 

 

 

"See you for dinner?" Baekhyun asks.

"Around eight?" 

"Around eight," the shorter confirms and gives Chanyeol a shy smile which Chanyeol returns immediately. Then, he turns around and walks away, glancing back at Chanyeol before disappearing behind the corner at the end of the street. Even though he's long gone, Chanyeol ust stands there and stares ahead, the stupid smile still plastered on his face.

It's Jongdae's voice that brings him back to reality, "When I told you to face your feelings, I certainly didn't expect that." Chuckling, his friend adds a second later, "He's nice, though."

"He is," Chanyeol agrees. Tugging at Jongdae's sleeve, they move forward again, toward Chanyeol's apartment building.

The initial plan was to hang out at Chanyeol's and eat lunch there, but meeting Baekhyun along the way changed those plans, and instead of eating in the comfort of Chanyeol's apartment, they had lunch in the nearby restaurant, all three of them. It was the first time Jongdae has officially met Baekhyun after hearing about him from Chanyeol - and seeing him run out of Chanyeol's apartment that one time - and it was quite a pleasant time, Jongdae taking a liking to Baekhyun right away. 

"Why didn't you introduce us sooner?" Jongdae questions as they walk. "We had to run into him on accident for us to meet. What a bad friend you are. Or, are did you do it because you were afraid I'm gonna steal him away from you or something?" 

"Oh, shut up," rolling his eyes at the teasing, Chanyeol puts his hands in the pockets of his coat to save them from the cold breeze. 

"I even got his number much sooner than you did," Jongdae continues playfully, laughing. After seeing that Chanyeol doesn't appreciate his teasing though, Jongdae turns more serious. "But really, he is nice. Funny, too. Seems like a good company."

"He is," repeating the same answer, Chanyeol turns the corner. "I'm glad you two get along. I mean, I thought you would, you have similar personalities."

"Right? He's almost as amazing as me," Jongdae praises himself, taking a sip of the coffee he bought after they left the restaurant. Until now it was too hot to drink, but judging by how Jongdae takes a huge gulp of it, it isn't that bad anymore. 

"Almost, right," Chanyeol snorts, giving Jongdae a look. "You are very modest."

"As always," Jongdae agrees while being fully aware of Chanyeol's sarcasm. "Anyway, you and Baekhyun... How's it going? The last time you gave me an update was three days ago."

"And that's that much?" another snort. "If you say it like that, people are going to think that I gossip on daily basis."

"Well, you sure talk about Baekhyun a lot. You've talked a lot about him since he moved in next door. Oh, I remember it all so well-"

"Jongdae, don't-"

"Can I quote?" 

"No."

Overhearing it, or maybe just plainly ignoring it, Jongdae quotes, " _He is so annoying. He always makes so much noise. He gets on my nerves on daily basis-"_

"Jongdae, come on," Chanyeol tries to stop his friend after a random girl shoots them a look as they are crossing the street. 

However, Jongdae doesn't stop. If anything, he takes it to the next level, "No, no, the best one is still  _I won't ever become his friend, god forbid something more._ You repeated so many versions of it so many times, and look where we are now!" Jongdae exclaims excitedly, slapping Chanyeol's shoulder. "You were giving him heart eyes the whole time."

"You actually gave him heart eyes too," Chanyeol points out, rubbing his shoulder. "You know, when he almost spilled your limonade on you and then starting apologizing like crazy."

"And? He's cute. And it was funny," Jongdae admits right into Chanyeol's face. "Anyway, where was I? Oh, I know.  _I would never want him,_ is also a good one.  _Baekhyun's not my type,_ too... Say, isn't it fun, reminiscing the old times when you were still so strongly in denial?" the only one that's having fun is Jongdae, but for the man it seems to be more than enough. "It's amazing to go back to it now when you're chasing after him oh so subtly."

"Okay, I get it. You were right," Chanyeol groans. "Now, please, shut up about it."

"That's what I wanted to hear. It has a nice ring to it," Jongdae laughs, and even though Chanyeol wants to be bitter, he can't find it in himself. In the end, he laughs along too, running a hand through his hair in embarrassment. Truly, he said so much things in the process of dying the possible feelings that could bloom, and now he simply looks like an idiot. "Really, though, did something interesting happened in the past three days, or is it still the same?"

"Evaluate."

"The same, as in you giving away hints but never actually asking him out because you don't have the balls to do it," Jongdae clarifies with ease.

"Fuck you, okay. It's not as simple as you think. There are reasons why I don't just-"

"Yeah, I know about them. You've been repeating them since your denial phase ended. I can quote that too."

"No,  _please-_ "

" _Jongdae, I can't ask him out. What if he rejects me and it will make everything awkward? What if he doesn't like me in that way? What if_ I _don't like him in the way and I'm just confused because he is so damn nice and adorable-"_

"Okay, first of all, I didn't say it like that so you're not really quoting, and secondly; those are real worries," Chanyeol interrupts, turning serious again. "I mean, if he rejected me, it would definitely make things awkward. He doesn't have to feel the same way just because he blushes every time I hit on him subtly. I mean, he blushes a lot. He is strangely shy even though he's a social butterfly. It's kinda cute-" noticing the look Jongdae gives him, Chanyeol quickly goes back to the topic on hand. "So yes, there's that. And lastly; let's say that he agrees to go out with me but then I realize I don't really like him-"

"You do though, I've seen the way you look at him."

"No, you don't get it," Chanyeol sighs exasperatedly. "Yes, I do like him, but that's sometimes not enough for a relationship. If -  _if_ _,_ hypothetically speaking - we've gotten together, a simple like wouldn't be enough. Now I maybe think that it would be great to be with him because he is just wow, personality and appearance wise, and I am comfortable with him, and he makes me feel alive, but-"

"But?" Jongdae interrupt again. "You sound like you're totally falling for him, I can't imagine what's the but here."

" _But_ ," Chanyeol emphasizes. "In the end, what if I never come to love him? I don't want to lead him on and be in a relationship that doesn't really have a future - that'd be just unfair to him. So, until I'm hundred percent sure, I don't want to ask him out. I will keep dropping hints to know if I have a chance, but until I'm sure about my feelings, I'm not going all the way with him."

"Are you even aware that what you're doing right now could be leading him on?" Jongdae asks, and before Chanyeol can even answer, his friend already continues. "No, no - this  _is_ leading him on. As a third person I can with certainty say that he likes you too, and since I know you well, I can also say that you aware of it. You have to be, at least a little," making a pause, Jongdae waits for a confirmation. It comes in the form of a guilty silence. "Perfect, that is out of the way. We can move on then-"

"Jongdae-" Chanyeol tries to stop this, knowing that it's not a friendly conversation anymore, Jongdae's bitter and frustrated tone enough of an indication, but his friend doesn't let him.

"For three weeks, you've been- No, you know what, I know what's the problem here," Jongdae cuts himself off this time, eyes going wide in realization. He stops walking, grabbing Chanyeol to make him stop too. Fortunately, they are already in front of Chanyeol's apartment building where there isn't so many people that would look their way. "This is about Kyungsoo."

" _What?!_ " Chanyeol is shocked to hear such accusation. "What are you saying?!"

"See, you're not aware of it yourself, but  _I_ get it," Jongdae chuckles bitterly. "You aren't afraid of rejection, and you also aren't afraid to take the step because you don't want to hurt Baekhyun. This is all about you not being over Kyungsoo at all."

"The fuck? Have you gone crazy?" shaking his head, Chanyeol tries to understand where is Jongdae coming from. "You are talking nonsense."

"Let me explain, if you still don't get it," angry Jongdae is indeed a dangerous Jongdae, and Chanyeol is reminded of it once again. "You were done for when Kyungsoo left you, and you were moping for  _months._ You were so bitter that you even hated the next person that has moved into Kyungsoo's apartment, just because it was Kyungsoo's. You hated him because he was the exact opposite of your ex-boyfriend in every possible aspect you could find, and you couldn't live through it. You were telling me about how he's completely not your type and shit, but now after seeing Baekhyun I can say that this guy is definitely your type - or was, before your type changed to Kyungsoo."

"You aren't making any fucking sense, you're just-"

"Okay, I will shorten it," Jongdae takes another deep breath before continuing, "You like Baekhyun, you definitely do. And you could love him too, but you know what's your problem? You just can't let go of Kyungsoo, not completely at least. That's why you aren't sure about your feelings even though you obviously want him; because Kyungsoo is still somewhere in your head, or heart, or whatever. You might not think about him anymore and you don't compare Baekhyun to him, but part of you is still with Kyungsoo without you even realizing it. And until you let go of that part that is holding on to Kyungsoo completely, you will never be able to fall in love with Baekhyun, or anyone else for that matter."

A silence follows Jongdae's speech as Chanyeol is momentarily too shocked to talk after having all of this spit into his face, but it doesn't stay like that for long. "And what do you expect me to do about that?" Chanyeol asks, clueless and frustrated with himself, not denying anything of what his friend has just said. "Do you think I'm not trying to forget? Do you think I'm not trying to move on? "

Sighing, Jongdae lets his anger go after seeing the pure honesty and desperation in Chanyeol's eyes. "I don't think any of that," he says. "I just want you to be honest with yourself. I want you to stop leading Baekhyun on, because that's exactly what you were doing. I mean, what if you decide you don't really want him in the end? He'll feel the change, and that change would be as loud as a verbal rejection. He doesn't deserve that, he's too nice for you to do that to him."

"I know, I  _know_ ," Chanyeol runs a hand through his hair in frustration. Having this kind of conversation just outside his apartment complex feels very wrong, but it seems like Jongdae couldn't just wait another three minutes until they got into Chanyeol's apartment to start scolding him, so Chanyeol has to deal with it there. On the street. Where people can hear them if they wanted to, for fuck's sake. "Of course I know. The guy is literal angel."

"Yeah.."

"I just- I just want to fall for him so badly, but I  _can't._ Not yet, at least. I like him, I fucking do, _so much_ , but it's just not enough. It doesn't feel right," Chanyeol admits. "He's so sweet, funny, so full of energy, and boy is he beautiful, but I don't feel like I could love him because Kyungsoo is still there somewhere," it hurts to say something like that, because it's making it more real than when it was in the back of Chanyeol's mind. However, Chanyeol thinks it's better than denying everything once again for the sake of enjoying the sweet oblivion that would kick him in the ass in the future for sure. "I'm a horrible person, Jongdae. A horrible person."

"Okay, don't get that dramatic-"

"No, I  _am_ ," Chanyeol insists. "I know that he likes me and I keep hinting that I like him back even though I don't actually like him enough to ask him out, and you know why? Because I want to make sure that he'll be here when I finally decide what I want. Isn't that disgusting Jongdae? He could be happy with someone else but I just- just," Chanyeol doesn't even know the right word for it. What is he doing, exactly? Keeping Baekhyun? Chaining Baehyun to himself?

"Stop," Jongdae shakes his head. "Stop doing this to yourself. You are not a bad person. I know you, and you are not a bad person. This, what you did with Baekhyun, was just one mistake. One mistake doesn't make you out to be a horrible person. You liking Baekhyun isn't a bad thing, you just have to cut the flirting short until you're sure of your feelings. It might hurt Baekhyun because it'll be sudden, but it's better to do that now, otherwise it will hurt him even more in the long run."

"What if someone else takes their chances in the meantime, though?" Chanyeol questions, his heart pounding like crazy in his chest. He doesn't want to hurt Baekhyun, doesn't want to make him feel unwanted suddenly, but he also doesn't want to lose him. Chanyeol is selfish, he knows, but he wants Baekhyun so damn much. "Not everybody is as stupid as me."

"Then they will. You'll have to accept it," the truth hurts, and even though Jongdae is aware of it, he doesn't sugarcoat his words. "However, I don't think that'll happen anytime soon, judging by how Baekhyun was giving you the same heart eyes during the lunch." 

Chanyeol chuckles, grateful that Jongdae is trying to lighten up the mood but still sad about it all. "I want to be with Baekhyun. I truly like him," with all seriousness, Chanyeol admits. It's true. Baekhyun is amazing, and he's making Chanyeol feel like he's living. A beautiful man inside out, that's what Baekhyun is, and Chanyeol desperately wants to be the one who'll make him happy. "I will get rid of all the leftover Kyungsoo because I'm not letting Baekhyun go. I'm not losing him." 

"That sounded pretty funny, but please do that," giving Chanyeol's shoulder another slap, Jongdae smiles encouragingly at his friend. A kind, friendly smile that Chanyeol so desperately needs to see right now to feel like he's not a complete failure. "I'm sure you can. You like Baekhyun enough to be able to do it." 

"I surely do."

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh so, hi guess lol. how many months has it been? quite a lot i'd say. i'm really happy i'm finally updating, after such a long time. i promised to update when im done with my bae fic but i never did, and im really sorry for that. i guess that writing such a long fic for bae took a toll on me and i came across a huge writer's block. i haven't really written during summer holidays either and im still angry about that because it's such a waste of time lol. now when the school has started i wont have time to write 5 fics at the same time as i could in summer. 
> 
> anyway, i've finally managed to get back on track and i finished this chapter in like two days (which is strange, since i wasnt able to write more han 100 words throughout those many months but managed to write around 5k for this chapter in two days while i was mostly at work and on practices/tournaments. guess my writer's block is gone, and now it's only going to be about time. since i work a lot because i want money it'll be hard to fint the time but i will definitely manage, just like before. 
> 
> i want to sincerely thank all of you who have been commenting on the chapter and asking me if i'm alright and that you haven't forgotten about this fic. it always made me think "i really want to update", and eventually it was your comments that made me live through my writer's block. i don't know if people will still remember this fic or things happening in it since it's been so long, but i'm really grateful to those who have been frequently checking the stautus of this fic. i especially want to thank mimoz for commenting on everything i write and for caring in general. it really made me go all soft <3 
> 
> also, i think that my writer's block also ended so suddenly because i got to see exo live during music bank in berlin and seeing baekhyun's beauty with my own eyes breathed new will to live into me lmao. 
> 
> ANYWAY please enjoy the long-awaiter chapter and dont mind the typos too much because since i was hyped i might have made a lot of them. this chapter is more of a fluff since after all the angst in the previous chapter some fluff and good times in general are important. i love you all, and i'm thankful that you haven't forgotten about this fic! <3 for those who would still like angst tho my bae fic is full of it so if you haven't read it you can check it out - you can find it on my account :)

Chanyeol thought it would be harder to get over Kyungsoo completely, but it proves to be rather easy, to a great surprise. Of course, it takes time, but Chanyeol somehow thought it wouldn't be so simple to stop seeing his ex boyfriend in everything Baekhyun does or says. He loved Kyungsoo so much, and he spent not hours or days, but months trying to get over the man that so coldly left him for a job opportunity, so it's understandable that after mourning the broken relationship for so long, one would expect it to take more than one perfect, beautiful guy to heal a shattered heart. But, on the other hand, isn't a new love cure for the old one? 

Chanyeol doesn't forget Kyungsoo completely, no. Kyungsoo is still there somewhere in his head, but now in a whole different light. He is there, but Chanyeol doesn't think of him as someone whom he desperately needs in his life, nor does he connect  _love_  and  _Kyungsoo_ in his head - if so, then the word  _past_ is always there as well, reminding Chanyeol that Kyungsoo is long gone and is not coming back - not like Chanyeol truly needs to be reminded though. He knows very well that Kyungsoo is in the past, and while Chanyeol will not wish for all the memories to disappear - because no matter how painful the consequences of the break up were, it was still a phase of his life that he can't simply forget - he will definitely not dwell on them with tears in his eyes like he used to either. 

It's not like he has time to be crying over spilt milk even if he wanted to though, since Baekhyun keeps him occupied most of the time. Baekhyun, who isbeautiful, kind, funny, crazy, shy and unpredictable. Baekhyun, whom Chanyeol is blessed to see every day, their friendship becoming so great that not a day goes by without them seeing each other because it would simply feel wrong. Baekhyun, the person that's making him feel complete again. Baekhyun, whom Chanyeol is impossibly in love with.

Falling for Baekhyun wasn't sudden. It was actually quite slow, mostly because of Chanyeol's phase of denial that was so hard get over. Afterwards, when he was already okay with the thought of liking Baekhyun, he had another lengthy phase of uncertainty that slowed things down. But then, finally, after Chanyeol became sure that Baekhyun is someone he could oh so easily imagine in the role of his long-time partner, Chanyeol couldn't help liking Baekhyun more and more every single day, any thoughts of Kyungsoo slowly but surely slipping away from his mind - and heart. And like this, the simple crush Chanyeol thought he would get over changed into love with time, and Chanyeol started to seriously wonder how blind he was before for not seeing Baekhyun for who he really was; not an intruder in Kyungsoo's apartment, but a gorgeous human being with a heart too soft for his own good. 

It must sound pathetic, way to cheesy, but that's how Chanyeol truly feels at the moment, and these emotions are just getting more intense every time the two of them are together, Baekhyun being his unique self while Chanyeol is left with his heart thumping crazily in his chest without the pink-haired man even knowing about it. It's also exactly thanks to these cheesy feelings that Chanyeol knows that what he's feeling is love and not just something temporary, since the last time he felt like this was when he was still with Kyungsoo, his heart unsteady and stomach full of butterflies. Maybe it's an over-exaggeration, but Chanyeol dares to say that what he feels right now is even more intense than what he felt for Kyungsoo - or with Kyungsoo. Perhaps it's because of the way Chanyeol can be free with Baekhyun the way he couldn't be with Kyungsoo, can be his true self without feeling like Baekhyun would be judging him, or perhaps it's simply because of this being completely new and bringng so much thrill. Chanyeol doesn't know, isn't sure about a lot of things, but what's important and what he's actually sure about is that he is falling so damn deep for Baekhyun that there is no chance of getting out of this. 

At one point, when they are just sitting on their balcony early in the morning before going to work and university, Baekhyun drinking the impossibly sweet coffee and Chanyeol drinking his bitter, black one, Chanyeol finds himself wondering if he would fall for Baekhyun instead of Kyungsoo if he had met Baekhyun earlier, or maybe had met both of them at the same time. Would his heart turn left for Kyungsoo, or right for Baekhyun? The questions keeps him occupied during their morning break, but in the end, Chanyeol decides that it doesn't really matter, because in this moment his heart belongs to Baekhyun and Baekhyun only - and that's what's important. As Chanyeol's eyes trace Baekhyun's face which is kissed by the morning sun, Chanyeol can't even begin to imagine that he would be here with anyone else, or that he would be staring at anyone else with the same look full of fondness and affection - and also worry, because Baekhyun's hobby that consists of him sitting on their thick cement balcony railing is quite dangerous. 

"What?" Baekhyun asks after he turns around and catches Chanyeol's gaze, a pretty smile gracing his bow-shaped lips as shadows are cast upon parts of his face that the sun can't reach. He looks completely unaware of the fact that Chanyeol has been watching him for minutes now. "Something wrong?" Baekhyun questions, looking so beautiful that Chanyeol momentarily forgets how to speak. While he has already seen Baekhyun in many outfits, hair and make-up perfect, he thinks that Baekhyun looks the best like this; with his hair messy, face bare, and dressed only in sweatpants and a saggy shirt. 

"Nothing," Chanyeol says in the end, smiling also. _A love-sick idiot,_ Jongdae would call him if he could see Chanyeol now. "I'm just looking. Watching you in case you lost balance and I had to save you from falling down."

"My savior," chuckling, Baekhyun turns his head back toward the town under them, and there is a subtle pink hue to his cheeks that makes Chanyeol's heart flutter with affection- Baekhyun is even prettier when he smiles, truly.

Chanyeol continues staring. 

Baekhyun doesn't stop smiling and blushing the whole time, now aware that he is being stared at but doing nothing to stop Chanyeol. 

 _What a nice start to a day_ , Chanyeol can't help but think, sipping his coffee with his eyes glued to Baekhyun. Somehow, the sight of the pink-haired man makes his bitter coffee taste sweet. 

 

 

"I don't like you." 

Chanyeol is surprised because of the sudden confession, and his eyes go wide immediately. So far, sitting with Sehun behind one table was only slightly uncomfortable, Baekhyun's chatting making the tension that was clear in the air bearable, but now when Baekhyun is not here because he has gone to toilet, it's horrible. 

Not wanting to repeat what had happened with Jongin a long time ago, Baekhyun asked thousands of times if it's okay for Sehun to join them for lunch, and Chanyeol replied with  _yes_ thousands of times too. Despite Sehun obviously disliking him, Chanyeol wanted to get to know him at least a little, thinking that maybe Sehun would stop looking at him with hostility after they have lunch together - all three of them, so Baekhyun's best friend can see that Chanyeol truly isn't that much of an asshole and certainly doesn't aim to hurt Baekhyun. However, all that Sehun seems to see in Chanyeol, even after spending time with him is a person who is there only to break Baekhyun's heart. 

"I can see that, yeah," is what Chanyeol decides to reply with, taking a sip of his ice-tea "You've made it pretty clear."

"I'm glad you noticed," Sehun says bitterly, staring at Chanyeol with narrowed eyes and a distasteful expression. It's clear that he dislikes to be alone with Chanyeol, although it's only for a few minutes. 

"Uhm... Is there anything I can do to change your opinion on me, then?" Chanyeol asks, honestly. He is really clueless as to what there is to do to make Sehun see him differently. After all, he has tried everything possible: he has treated Baekhyun with nothing but care and affection after they had become friends, and Sehun, as Baekhyun's best friend, must see it; when he's bringing Baekhyun coffee from the shop down the street, he always takes one for Sehun as well, which means that Chanyeol not only puts effort into that, but has also put effort into finding out what Sehun's favorite drink is in the first place; he has even invited Sehun for a night out with Baekhyun, him, and Jongdae. Chanyeol is really, really trying to make Sehun at least accept him, if not like him. 

"Stop playing with Baekhyun, for example," Sehun tells him casually, stirring his noodles while not breaking eye-contact with Chanyeol even for a second. The look in Sehun's brown orbs is sharp, as if he was ready to cut Chanyeol in half with his glare, and Chanyeol feels quite small in front of Baekhyun's best friend despite being taller and broader than Sehun - he checked their height difference and built the moment they stood face to face, as childish as it sounds. 

"I'm not playing with him," frowning, Chanyeol says, ready to defend himself. "I'm  _not,_ " he repeats a second later, more seriously, when Sehun only rolls his eyes, thinking that Chanyeol is definitely lying to him. 

"God, I've heard that so many times, from so many of Baekhyun's ex-lovers," Sehun lets out a bitter laugh, finally averting his gaze from Chanyeol and looking down at his plate instead. It's more than obvious that he doesn't believe in Chanyeol's words in the slightest. Part of Chanyeol is angry at Sehun because of that, but another part of Chanyeol reminds him that there is a reason why Sehun refuses to trust him - and it's Chanyeol's own fault as well. 

"I'm serious-"

"The same thing over and over again," Sehun cuts him off, letting out a frustrated sigh and dropping his chopsticks. Looks like he has finally had enough. "I'm sorry if I'm being rude right now - after all, you are older than me - but I've had enough of guys who think it's okay to get Baekhyun's hopes up and then disappear like nothing happened, breaking my best friend's heart just like that. The only difference between you and all the others is that they at least tried to come off as nice in the beginning; but you? You were an asshole to him for so long, and now you're trying to tell me you're not playing with him when you're suddenly all nice and stuff?" Sehun chuckles humorlessly, not even giving Chanyeol time to say something before he continues, ending his speech with a merciless, "Baekhyun deserves better than that. So you should back off." 

For a few seconds, Chanyeol is stunned by the harsh words, not knowing what to say. It seems that nothing that'd fall out of Chanyeol's mouth would change Sehun's opinion anyway, but Chanyeol still wants to try, not liking the fact that Sehun not only hates him but is also sure that Chanyeol is simply toying with Baekhyun and nothing more. Yes, Chanyeol knows that it's his own fault that Sehun doesn't like him and doesn't trust him, but isn't it clear that his intentions with Baekhyun are nothing but good? Isn't it obvious that Chanyeol doesn't aim to hurt Baekhyun? It would all look different if he just wanted to have fun and then dump Baekhyun. 

Chanyeol wants to snap at Sehun and tell him all that, but the fact that Sehun's distrust is not all that unreasonable keeps him grounded. And so, instead of starting an argument, Chanyeol takes a calming breath and wonders what to do with this situation.

As Baekhyun's best friend, it's a given that Sehun would be doubting Chanyeol's intentions after Chanyeol was a complete jerk to Baekhyun for nearly two weeks - or even more, Chanyeol doesn't exactly remember. The guy is only doing his job as Baekhyun's good friend, and Chanyeol can't hold it against the younger man, since Sehun is only trying to protect Baekhyun's heart that has - according to Sehun's words - ended up broken way too many times in the past. If he were in Sehun's shoes, he would probably act the same.

However, Chanyeol isn't like other guys Baekhyun has had in the past, no matter how cliché it sounds. 

Chanyeol has sat up on his bad awake at night with his thoughts racing too many times in the past weeks for it to be a joke or a game. He was thinking about Baekhyun with all seriousness, imagining how could their relationship possibly look like, getting quite obsessed with the idea of having Baekhyun as his boyfriend. Kyungsoo has left his mind almost completely by now too, only popping here and there on some occasions, but Chanyeol doesn't think too much about it anymore - he used to be bitter about Kyungsoo leaving him, about Kyungsoo not being here anymore, but now he knows it's time to move on and leave Kyungsoo be. Besides, how can he be pathetically stuck in the past when a living perfection in a form of Byun Baekhyun could possibly be his? 

Chanyeol is serious. He has thought about it a lot, and he is definitely serious. Baekhyun isn't a rebound, and he also isn't a replacement for Kyungsoo; Baekhyun is so much more than that, and Chanyeol hopes that he can make Sehun see it too, not wanting to have the guy glaring at him til the end of his days. 

After all the days he has spent thinking about Baekhyun, Chanyeol is very certain about wanting to date him. He's not indecisive like he was weeks ago when he argued about it with Jongdae. 

"I am-"

But just as Chanyeol starts defending himself and his honest feelings for Baekhyun, Baekhyun comes back from the toilet, flopping down on his seat as he says, "I'm so hungry, oh my god."

And just like that, Sehun's glare disappears immediatelly, changing into a soft look that fits with his smile. "You took your time," Sehun says as he takes the chopsticks in his hands again. "Your food has gotten cold."

"No it hasn't," Baekhyun rolls his eyes, digging into his lunch with sparkling eyes.  _Baekhyun really likes to eat,_ Chanyeol thinks as he watches the pink-haired man putting a huge bit of meat into his mouth and looking thoroughly blessed. For a moment, Chanyeol forgets about his own food for the sake of staring at Baekhyun.

It's only a second later that Baekhyun looks at him as well, his mouth full, and attempts for a subtle smile. Chanyeol's heart skips a beat, and as he gives Baekhyun a smile of his own, he completely ignores Sehun's glare that is burning holes into him.

 

 

After the start of the new school year, Chanyeol doesn't have that much time to spend with Baekhyun anymore. Although it's tempting, he can't just ignore his studies in order to hang out with Baekhyun for hours like he used to anymore, and it makes Chanyeol quite a bit frustrated because he got too used to having Baekhyun by his side. During the very first week of school, Baekhyun had been at least crashing at Chanyeol's place as much as he could, being a silent company while Chanyeol had been studying, but when his bakery also got busier, Baekhyun had to go back to his work-dedicated self, leaving Chanyeol alone. 

It's only when Chanyeol doesn't get more than a few glimpses of Baekhyun for a few days that he realizes just how much he misses the man, and it messes with Chanyeol's head a lot. He misses their long walks through the streets of Seoul; he misses how they were sitting on a bench in the nearby park as they ate whatever fast food they were in the mood for; he misses their random-movies marathons. He simply misses Baekhyun. 

The thing is, he knew - of course he did - that he'll miss Baekhyun when the school starts again, but he didn't think that it'd be that bad. Sometimes, he can't even concentrate on his studies fully, and Chanyeol  _loves_ his major and everything about it, so that's a big deal if his attention span is cut short because of a certain someone. The last time he felt like that was with Kyungsoo a year ago, with the only difference being that he felt like he needs to prove himself to Kyungsoo and so he studied even more despite being extremely distracted, wanting to make Kyungsoo see that he is smarter than he might look. 

Now that Chanyeol thinks about it, it was kind of stupid; wanting to prove himself to someone. In the end, it wasn't only useless, but Chanyeol also pushed his true personality away in order to woe Kyungsoo, not stopping once to think about how he shouldn't change himself for someone just like that, and it's only now when he can be his real self with Baekhyun that he realizes how foolish it was. 

"You're staring again," Baekhyun's voice cuts his thoughts off, and Chanyeol blinks a few times and clears his throat when he realizes that he's been paying more attention to Baekhyun than to his studies.  _Again_ , as Baekhyun even pointed out. "That's why I'm against coming here when you are studying. You don't focus." And Chanyeol can't really say anything against that, since it's very true, which is why the pink-haired man sighs and announces suddenly, "I'm leaving."

"What? No," Chanyeol says as he stands up from the couch the very moment Baekhyun does so, letting the pen fall out of his hand. He hasn't spent time with Baekhyun for tree days, and although they are not exactly having fun together right now, Chanyeol doesn't want to waste the opportunity, since Baekhyun's presense is as calming as it is distracting. 

"You need to study. I get that you are pretty much a genius when it comes to this... stuff." Baekhyun gestures to the multiple books and paper piles lying on the table, not able to remember the name of the topic that Chanyeol is looking into today. "But you still need to to study. If you fail, I'll feel like it's my fault for sure," Baekhyun says with a sad smile, pocketing his phone and putting the glass with juice Chanyeol provided him before on the table before making his way to the front door.

"Don't go, come on," Chanyeol tries, following Baekhyun and coming to stand in front of the door so Baekyun can't leave. He feels like a whiny child, but he doesn't care all that much; he just wants Baekhyun to stay. "I won't fail; I know almost all of it already. I took extra classes, remember?"

"That's not changing the fact that I'm distracting you," saying that, Baekhyun puts on his coat and sighs. It's clear that he too doesn't want to leave, but it seems like the best thing to do so that Chanyeol can fully focus on his studies and not space out every ten minutes. "Why are you so out of it anyway?" Baekhyun, curious. "If you keep spacing out while looking at me all the time, I might even think you like me," Baekhyun chuckles cutely, not having the slightest idea that his words are actually true.

The thing is, in the beginning, Chanyeol had stared at Baekhyun because he couldn't take is eyes off someone so beautiful, but later on, when all of his feelings became very obvious, Chanyeol started staring at Baekhyun so much because the man was indeed ethereal _and_ because Chanyeol wondered about many, many other things - Should he confess? How should he confess? Would Baekhyun refuse him or reciprocate his feelings? All of those things in Chanyeol's mind make him space out for a while as he furiously thinks about all the possible outcomes, and it's a given that he keeps his eyes on Baekhyun when the thoughts in his head are racing like crazy.

However, he can't tell Baekhyun about it, at least not yet, not now.

On the other hand, this is a perfect opportunity; Baekhyun is standing in front of him with somethng like a hopeful glint in his pretty eyes, waiting for the answer Chanyeol so badly wants to provide him with. It would be so easy to just let it out. You are right; I like you. A lot, Chanyeol wants to say, the words already on the tip of his tongue, but... Chanyeol can't. Not yet. He wants to tell Baekhyun about Kyungoo before he confesses, explain that despite how strong his feelings for Kyungsoo were before, they are gone now, and that Baekhyun is the only one in Chanyeol's heart. Baekhyun is not a rebound, definitely not, and Chanyeol wants Baekhyun to know that.

  
When Chanyeol thinks about it now, he feels like cursing himself for not being brave enough to speak about Kyungsoo with Baekhyun earlier. It would make things easier.

"Maybe I do," Chanyeol decides to say in the end, making sure his voice sounds serious - he wouldn't want Baekhyun to think that he is just joking as he says this. It seems to do the trick, since Baekhyun seems to be at loss of words for a while, clearly affected by Chanyeol's half-confession. "...Stay?" Chanyeol asks then, breaking the silence that has streched for a second too long.

"Good attempt, but no," Baekhyun tells him in the end, laughing a little and looking away from Chanyeol's eyes. _He's nervous... flustered_ , Chanyeol notices easily. "You can pick me up at nine from work though?"

"Wasn't Tao supposed to be closing today?"

"Yes, but I have some things to do, and it's going to take me quite some time, so it would be useless to keep Tao here when I can do it myself. He is a student too, so he is definitely going to appreciate some time off," Baekhyun says, jabbing a finger into Chanyeol's side so that the tall man would move aside and let him leave. "So study until then, okay? And then we can go out and have a late dinner maybe...?"

"Sounds great," Chanyeol agrees immediately. He will study his ass off and then he'll have time to hang out with Baekhyun without worrying about classes. "What would you like to eat?"

"Surprise me," Baekhyun grins at Chanyeol before walking out of the door, waving at Chanyeol and showing off his pearly whites as he steps out of the apartment, most likely unaware of how excited Chanyeol is about their evening plans. "Bye," Baekhyun says before turning around and making his way down the hall, and Chanyeol replies with goodbye, but what he really wants to do is to kiss Baekhyun instead. He doesn't do it of course, but the urge to capture Baekhyun's lips with his own stays with him even after Baekhyun is long gone already.

Hours later, when he is done studying and is resting on his couch, he realizes that he truly doesn't want to wait any longer - he doesn't want to hold back anymore - and as painful as it might be to talk about Kyungsoo, it's a small price he has to pay to be finally able to confess, and, hopefully, be with Baekhyun.

 _I'll tell him today_ , Chanyeol decides without hesiation, with zero doubts, and just as the decision is made, he closes his eyes, thinking that a short nap is a perfect idea after studying for so long.

 

 

Chanyeol is going to be late, he knows it. He is supposed to be picking Baekhyun up in approximately five minutes - he didn't get a good look at the clock on the wall so maybe it's even less - and he is not even out of the apartment yet, still searching for his phone while his keys dangle in his hand as Chanyeol frantically runs from one side of his flat to another. In different circumstances, he wouldn't bother searching for his mobile when he clearly doesn't have time for it and would just go and pick Baekhyun up without it, but now it's important that he has it, since he needs to message Baekhyun about being a little bit late. 

The five minutes he had left are gone quickly, but at least Chanyeol manages to find his phone in the end, getting slightly angry after realizing that it was right under his nose the whole time - finally, he has found the device hidden underneath the many papers that were scattered on the table. Chanyeol doesn't understand how could he miss the first time he looked there, but whatever. There is no use in getting frustrated now. Instead, he should put the energy into running to Baekhyun's bakery to get there sooner. 

And so, that's what he does. 

He runs out of his apartment after quickly turning off the lights, accidentally shutting the door behind him so loudly that the sound that echoes through the hall startles an old lady that was just about to enter her flat. She looks at him with a frown afterwards and Chanyeol blurts out an apology of some sort before sprinting to the elevator, feeling bad about scaring her but not caring enough to apologize properly at the same time- besides, she deserved to get scared after not holding the elevator door for Chanyeol the last time even though she had definitely seen him wavng at her. 

The elevator ride is only a few seconds long, but it seems to be endless to Chanyeol who is anxiously walking around in the small space, typing away furiously now that he has time for it-  _I'll be there in a minute, wait for me, ok? Don't go alone like last time._ he types and sends it quickly.  _I'm sorry for being late again,_ he adds a beat later before locking his phone and looking up at the small display right above the door, seeing the number  _3_ there. Only three floors left, then. It's not a lot, but still, Chanyeol lets out a huff, pursing his lips in annoyance. He needs the elevator to move faster. 

Finally,  _finally,_ the metal doors open after a few seconds, and Chanyeol feels just the slightest bit ridiculous as he breaks into a run once again, making his way to Baekhyun's bakery that's just a few turns away from there. Yes, it's true that this is not the first time he is late and so he should hurry, but at the same time he'll most likely be late by five minutes at most, given that the bakery is so close. It's not that much. And yet, Chanyeol is in such a rush, as if he was supposed to meet Baekhyun an hour earlier. 

As he takes turns, being careful not to bump into anyone, Chanyeol thinks about how Baekhyun will most likely not even notice that Chanyeol is late. After all, Baekhyun always does some extra work and so he never closes at nine sharp; Chanyeol has aready gotten used to it. But  _still._  He wanted to be there on time - he even wanted to be early, to be honest, so he could help Baekhyun clean up like he usually does, but his plan failed miserably thanks to his 'short' nap. 

It takes around four minutes to get to the bakery, and even Chanyeol himself is surprised by his speed. He might have long legs and stamina of a god after spending so many hours a week in the gym, but four minutes are still quite something, considering that it usually takes around ten to fifteen minutes of walking. Chanyeol is not complaining, though; he is happy that he could get there so fast. 

However, Baekhyun is nowhere to be seen, which makes Chanyeol think that the pink-haired man is still inside, probably finishing the last of his tasks and preparing to go home. Wanting to find out if his guess is true, Chanyeol takes a step closer and narrows his eyes a little as he looks through the slits of the blinds in a hope to see something, ignoring the looks people must be surely giving him as they walk by. Soon enough, he notices that while the front of the bakery is all dark, there is light coming from the back where the kitchen is, and that is enough to answer his questions; yes, Baekhyun is indeed still working. 

Stepping back from the huge windows and coming to stand in front of the door instead, Chanyeol starts searching for the right key with the help of the streetlamp, putting it in the lock when he finds it. Baekhyun has given him the copy of the key to the bakery just three days ago, saying with a huge blush across his cheeks that Chanyeol should own one as well. _You always want to help me clean despite me telling you it's okay and you knock on the door until I let you in, so I've decided you can just start letting yourself in on your own,_ were Baekhyun's words, spoken with fake displeasure - Chanyeol knows it was fake, simply because the pink color of Baekhyun's cheeks and a spark in those droopy eyes gave him away immediately.

Slipping inside, Chanyeol's ears catch a melody from the direction of the kitchen, and a smile finds its way to Chanyeol's lips immediately as he recognizes the song easily. How could he not recognize it so quickly when Baekhyun has been playing it since Girl's Generation released it a few days ago, right? Lil touch seems to be Baekhyun's favourite song at the moment - or so Chanyeol thinks, his guess based on the fact that Baekhyun has been constantly humming the melody quietly, sometimes even singing along when he thought there is nobody listening - just like he is doing now, by the sound of it.

Chanyeol wants to call out Baekhyun's name to let him know that he's here, but in the end he decides against it, wanting to enjoy the beautiful sound of Baekhyun's voice for just a little bit longer. Baekhyun doesn't like to sing in front of Chanyeol, always stopping when he knows Chanyeol could possibly catch even a single syllable, and so spying on Baekhyun like this is the only way to ever hear him - Chanyeol can't let such a chance go to waste, right? After all, the last time he was able to witness Baekhyun's singing was quite a long time ago, and he has missed the sound greatly. It's such a pity that Baekhyun has such a nice voice but is too shy to bless Chanyeol's ears with it. However, Chanyeol believes that, maybe, in the future, Baekhyun won't be embarrassed for a single thing in front of him. He really hopes they will get there at one point, for Chanyeol does not only want to hear Baekhyun sing freely, he also wants Baekhyun to be comfortable enough around him to do whatever he pleases without having to feel like Chanyeol might judge him. 

Sometime, Chanyeol thinks with a smile gracing his lips as he watches Baekhyun from behind the corner, his eyes following Baekhyun's every movement. It's adorable; the way Baekhyun sings while moving his hips to the rhythm of the song, clearly enjoying himself to the fullest. His hands are dirty from the ingredients he used for baking, and he dirties his face as well only a second later as he brings one of his hands up to scratch his cheek, completely forgetting that his fingers aren't clean - it's just then that Chanyeol realizes this is definitely not the first time it happened today, judging by the multiple colorful smears all over Baekhyun's face. Chanyeol can't help but chuckle at that, too amused to keep quiet, and it's then that Baekhyun finally notices him, jumping a little and letting out a quiet yelp of surprise when he sees Chanyeol standing a few feet away.

There is no more singing after that, only Baekhyun's startled voice as he asks, "How long have you been there?" He then breaths out slowly, calling himself. "God, you scared me so much."

"I'm sorry," Chanyeol says honestly, his chuckle turning into a soft, fond smile again. "Your voice is really good. I like it a lot," complimenting Baekhyun, Chanyeol comes up to him slowly, leaving the shadows of the corner he was hiding behind.

Immediately, Baekhyun purses his lips in displeasure. "So you've said before," he says, embarrassed, his eyes leaving Chanyeol's as he looks away, clearly affected by the compliment. "I didn't know you were listening."

"If you knew, you wouldn't sing," Chanyeol points out.

"That's right," Baekhyun agrees, reaching for his phone to turn down the volume of music, clearly not caring in the slightest about dirtying his phone. "Are you all done with your studies?" He asks now that it's quieter, his voice ever so soft. Chanyeol's heart swells at the sound of it. "What time is it? Did you finish early or- oh shit," Baekhyun stops himself when his eyes catch the clock on the wall, the realization sinking in. 

"Yeah," is Chanyeol's response. "Do you ever, like, I don't know... look at the time?" he questions teasingly as he approaches Baekhyun, suddenly being so close that Baekhyun has to crane his neck a little to look up at him. Chanyeol isn't going to say it out loud, but he truly enjoys the way Baekhyun is a great deal shorter than him. It's cute. 

"...Of course," Baekhyun replies. Chanyeol only raises his eyebrows, the  _really?_ already on the tip of his tongue. However, Baekhyun speaks before Chanyeol can actually say it. "I do," he repeats, rolling his eyes. "It's just that I got too carried away today."

"Are you working on something big?" Chanyeol asks, his eye trailing the multiple bowls full of... colorful somethings. Creams, maybe? Chanyeol isn't really sure, since his vocabularyregarding baking terms is severley lacking. "I thougght you had already finished baking that huge wedding cake you talked so much about, or...?" Chanyeol would sweat that Baekhyun told him he had finished with that cake,, but now when he sees all the mess in the kitchen, he is starting to question his memory.

"Oh, no," Baekhyun says, shaking his head slightly. "I'm done with that one."

"Then... is this some new project?"

"No, I'm just trying out some new combinations," finally enlightening Chanyeol, Baekhyun gestures for Chanyeol to come closer and see for himself. Chanyeol does as he is non-verbally asked, walking closer to the bowls and looking them over with curious eyes. "Here, try some," Baekhyun offers, not even waiting for Chanyeol's agreement before pulling out a spoon from one of the drawers. "You like chocolate the most, right? Have some of that," Baekhyun hands the spoon to Chanyeol and points at the bowl that's the furthest away. "I tasted it and it's not that bad, I guess at least. But you can give me a second opinion, hm?" 

"Can I really?" Chanyeol asks, but his spoon is already touching the surface of the cream. What can he say? He is easily swayed when chocolate is involved. 

"Of course. I'm just testing things; I'm not gonna do anything with them afterwards. I mean, I will make some small cakes for friends if I'm satisfied, but that's it," Baekhyun says, nodding at Chanyeol in encouragement. "Go ahead." And so Chanyeol does, putting a spoonfull of the cream in his mouth and savoring the sweetness he tastes on his tongue a second after. He's quiet for a while, trying to actually think of the quality of what he's eating because he doesn't want to give Baekhyun a half-assed opinion, but Baekhyun is just too impatient. "So? Too sweet? Or should I make it sweeter? Is the taste good or bland?" Baekhyun bombards him with questions, looking at Chanyeol with anticipation. 

Chanyeol can't help but smile as he answers, "It's great, honestly." And he isn't lying when he says that. It truly tastes great: it's not too sweet, just enough to satisfy Chanyeol's sweet-tooth; it's definitely not bland either, the chocolate taste very promiment even with other ingredients that are mixed in very well; and also, the sole fact that Baekhyun made him taste something important to him makes it many, many times better. "You don't neet to add anything. Believe me; it's perfect as it is," Chanyeol tells him. In those past week he has eaten many of Baekhyun's creations, and nothing has ever been bad. Baekhyun really does have a talent when it comes to baking, nobody can deny that. 

"Are you sure?" Baekhyun asks, doubtful. "Because-"

"Baekhyun, really," Chanyeol interrupts him softly, smiling. "It's delicious, like everything you make," he adds, and immediately, Baekhyun's eyes go a little wide in surprise before he looks to the side, biting on his lower lip. He utters a quiet _thank you_ but is too shy to look at Chanyeol, and Chanyeol's heart jumps in his chest. The way Baekhyun is so close to blushing just from one small compliment, the way he is suddenly afraid of looking at Chanyeol, the way he bites his lips to hide a smile; Chanyeol loves all of it. "Let me try them all," Chanyeol says after a few beats of appreciating Baekhyun's flustered state. 

That seems to snap Baekhyun back to reality. "No!" he yells out, and Chanyeol almost drops the spoon from his hand upon Baekhyun's loud voice. "Sorry, uh, I didn't mean to scream," apologizing immediately, Baekhyun sheepishly smiles and moves his hand to scratch the back of his head before quickly dropping it again when he realizes that his hand is still dirty. "Don't eat my experiments, I don't want you to get sick," Baekhyun tells him. "I have something better for you."

"Are there too many leftovers from today, so you want to get rid of them and feed them to me?" Chanyeol jokes. Half-jokes. It wouldn't be the first time Baekhyun offers him some pastries because there are a bit more left. 

"No," Baekhyun says. "Not today."

"Oh, then-"

"I baked something small for you, as an apology," Baekhyun starts, turning around and walking to the fridge. "Jongdae told me it's one of your favorites, but since I don't sell anything like that and I'm not really familair with the recipe, it might taste a little weirdly. Or look weirdly. I'm sorry. I mean, they are not hard to make at all, but... yeah." Nervously laughing a little, Baekhyun opens the fridge and takes out a huge plate with around thirty of small tarts, coming back to Chanyeol with it after closing th fridge door. "There are a lot with blackberries because I know you like them, so..." he trails off, placing them in front of Chanyeol.

The mini fruit tarts definitely look delicious. Chanyeol hasn't had them in a while, since the only shop that was selling them had closed down, but they definitely remained in Chanyeol's  _favorites_ list. He can't wait until he tastes them, sure that Baekhyun's creating will be as delicious as ever, but, "Why are you apologizing though?" Chanyeol questions, confused. "You didn't do anything wrong, as far as I know...?"

"I want to apologize for Sehun," Baekhyun tells him. "We talked today during the shift and he has mentioned some conversation you two had while I was in the bathroom the other day."

"Oh," Chanyeol lets out. Yeah, he remembers that conversation well. 

"I just-" Baekhyun starts but stops himself, taking a deep breath. "Ugh, it's so frustrating because he wouldn't tell me what you two were talking about but he told me that he wants to apologize to you later or something, and it made me think that  _oh fuck, he must have screwed up badly when he is actually willing to apologize_. And-"

"Baekhyun, hey," Chanyeol reaches out, putting the spoon he was holding down on the table before stepping closer and placing his hands on Baekhyun's arms. "You don't have to apologize for anything - and Sehun doesn't either. I understand why he said what he has said, it's no big deal. You shouldn't have felt bad. And you shouldn't have waste your time on making the tarts just to say sorry. I know you're busy." 

In all honesty, Chanyeol  _was_ angry with Sehun at some point, but then he realized that not only it's his own fault - for he had been a dick to Baekhyun from the beginning - but that Sehun must have had a reason to be so extremely over-protective. Chanyeol remembers him mentioning other people - if the mention of e _x-lovers_ and those  _other guys_ is anyhting to go by - and if there were people who have hurt Baekhyun in the past, as Baekhyun's best friend, it is a given that Sehun would be wary of any new man who is chasing after Baekhyun. Especially if the next man in line is someone who had already managed to make Baekhyun cry, when the two of them weren't even acquaintances - how could someone like Chanyeol be a good lover for Baekhyun? Sehun had all the right to tell Chanyeol off. 

"No, you don't get it." Baekhyun sighs, pulling away from Chanyeol. Chanyeol would have felt hurt if he didn't know that Baekhyun needs some space now as he vents out his frustration. "Sehun is- Sehun is sometimes too much, and I often get angry at him for it, but at the same time I get why he is like that, and I'm grateful that he's trying to protect me. There have been many times that- there just have been a lot people who hurt me, you know? And Sehun was always there for me, even though I stubbornly didn't listen to him so many times when he told me  _Baek, this guy doesn't look okay_." There is a flashing thought in Chanyeol's mind about wanting to beat up anyone who has dared to hurt Baekhyun, but then it hits him that he hurt Baekhyun too. Back then, he was hurting Baekhyun a lot, even when he didn't realize. "I don't even know what I wanted to say with all that," Baekhyun admits, chuckling humorlessly, sadness lacing his voice. "I guess that I just want you to understand that Sehun cares about me and he can be really... straightforward sometimes. He doesn't trust people easily. However, if he crossed a line with whatever he said, I'm sorry for it."

"You don't have to be," Chanyeol repeats. "It's okay. It really is," he adds when Baekhyun just looks down on the ground, staring at his shoes. "Hey, come on." Walking up to Baekhyun again, Chanyeol gently grabs Baekhyun's wrist, tugging him forward. Upon the touch, Baekhyun glances up at him from behind his lashes, and it takes every ounce of Chanyeol's exitence not to lean down and kiss Baekhyun at that moment. Baekhyun is just... too much for Chanyeol to handle, especially with those colorful smears all over his face and red-ish lips from biting on them so much. "Let's have some of those tarts, hm?" he offers instead, hoping that Baekhyun will see from the way Chanyeol's lips curl into a smile that it's really, really okay. Baekhyun stares into his eyes for a few silent moments, the look in his eyes unreadable, but in the end he just nods wordlessly, letting himself be pulled toward the treats lying on the pult. 

Chanyeol doesn't let go of Baekhyun's wrist after they start eating. He doesn't let go when they start talking a minute later either, the two of them dropping the previous topic and instead talking about their day. During the conversation, Chanyeol's hand even slides a little lower, his fingers touching Baekhyun's own, but Baekhyun doesn't seem to mind. It's actually the opposite; Baekhyun looks way too happy about their loosely intertwined fingers - almost as happy as Chanyeol himself.

If Chanyeol needed a push to finally tell Baekhyun about Kyungsoo and then confess to the pink-haired man, then this has definitely done it. 


End file.
